


Eyes Like A Cat and Scales Like the Sun

by nolovedeepweab



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cryptids, Mentions of past drug use, Multi, currently using gender neutral pronouns for kenma, free form - i have no idea what im doing, i dont feel like tagging every merperson so yeah... lol, kuroos human and a big nerd, mermaid au, mermaid!Kageyama, mermaid!hinata, mermaid!kenma, mostly fluff tho, some angst but not much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-07 15:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11061699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nolovedeepweab/pseuds/nolovedeepweab
Summary: Kuroo prided himself in how he always came off as a cunning, clever person; someone who wasn’t easily tricked or too gullible. However, one thing he always kept believing in, no matter how preposterous, was the existent of ‘mystical creatures’. Kuroo believed in his fair share of cryptids, and his old college roommate Oikawa had successfully gotten him to believe in aliens (trust me, they’re out there), but one thing, without a doubt, that he knew had to exist were mermaids.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> my friend has successfully persuaded me in writing a mermaid au! and the obvious answer to me not updating my other fics is to start a new one so here we goooooooo
> 
> also this is my first time writing a fic that isnt college au or just like an ordinary life au so we'll see how this goes

       Kuroo prided himself in how he always came off as a cunning, clever person; someone who wasn’t easily tricked or too gullible. However, one thing he always kept believing in, no matter how preposterous, was the existent of ‘mystical creatures’. Kuroo believed in his fair share of cryptids, and his old college roommate Oikawa had successfully gotten him to believe in aliens ( _trust me, they’re out there_ ), but one thing, without a doubt, that he knew _had_ to exist were mermaids. Or merpeople, since all mermaids couldn’t just be female, right?

 

“Dude, I still don’t get why you believe in mermaids, it’s a myth! Legend!” Yaku exclaimed from where they were walking along the rocky alcove.

 

It was the weekend, and that usually meant that the two of them spent an evening walking around the beach, shooting the shit. And currently, Kuroo was in the mood to indulge his friend on all the theories he had about mermaids.

 

Kuroo turned his head slightly to glare at his friend. “Like 70% of the Ocean is undiscovered! So many things could be living in there and we don’t know, Yaku! SO. MANY. THINGS!” Kuroo flung his hands excitedly in the air, almost smacking Yaku in the face when the shorter man abruptly stopped.

 

“True, but if anything wouldn’t you think they’ve evolved enough to come on land? And wouldn’t that just make them… well, us?” Yaku quirked an eyebrow as he kneeled to inspect a particularly interesting shell.

 

“UGH” Kuroo groaned and moved to sit beside his friend. “You’re no fun…”

 

“Oh shut up, you’re just bitter because a mermaid hasn’t come to whisk you away into the ocean” Yaku muttered as he continued to prod into a small pool.  

 

Kuroo continued to groan as he leaned back against the rocks, staring out onto the ocean.

 

“What would you even do” Yaku spoke up after a moment of silence, “if you ever saw one, that is”

 

“Hmm” Kuroo thought for a bit and picked at the rocky edges of the pool absentmindedly “I don’t know… probably like… have a heart attack and die before I could run home and yell ‘

I told you so!’ in your face”

 

Yaku snorted. “True”

 

Yaku stood from where he was kneeling and stretched, letting out a content sigh before he continued speaking. “Think I’m gonna head back now, you gonna stay here and do that weird silently stare at the ocean and think shit?”

 

Kuroo hummed and nodded his head, remaining seated.

 

“Cool” Yaku chuckled and said his farewell before heading back out to the main beach, and back to their home.

 

Kuroo and Yaku had been roommates for a couple years now. After graduating college, Kuroo had begun looking for housing close to the ocean, and low and behold, his old friend from high school was also looking for the same thing. Thus, the two of them found a nice quaint apartment about a 12 minute walk from the beach.

 

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Yaku was on his way to becoming a marine biologist and had scored a nice paid internship at a research organization by the coast. As for Kuroo, he was volunteering at the rescue and rehabilitation center for marine animals that was stationed on the shore. His main source of income for the time being is coming from being a private chemistry tutor. It wasn’t ideal and he was constantly low on money, but hey rich families by the coast paid a pretty penny to have their kids privately tutored and he could at least make rent and utilities. Plus Yaku didn’t mind helping him out with food every once in awhile.

 

Kuroo stretched against the rocks, his back getting a bit sore from where he was sitting. He noticed the sun was starting to set, so he decided now would be a good time to head home. It was never fun trying to navigate his way back from the rocky alcove in the dark.

 

As he got up, he noticed a faint glimmer off to the farther side of the alcove. It moved around the corner and disappeared behind the rocks. Kuroo’s eyes widened and he ditched all thoughts of going home in favor of his rising curiosity.

 

He carefully made his way to the far side of the alcove and treaded carefully around the corner, praying to the gods that he wouldn’t slip and fall into the rocky water below. Once around the corner he discovered a nice private beach. It was small, the sand being right up against the rocks and the tide very close. The small beach could probably fit 3 people on it comfortably.

 

Kuroo’s breath caught in his throat as he saw what exactly the source of that glimmering light was.

 

 _Holy shit… holy shIT! HOLY SHIT! THAT’S AN_ **_ACTUAL_ ** _MERMAID! MERMAN? I DONT KNOW AND I DONT CARE HOLY FUCK MERPEOPLE ARE REAL-_

 

Kuroo’s thoughts stopped as the mermaid’s (merperson’s?) pained gaze met his. Upon seeing their expression, Kuroo realized they were hurt. He looked up and down the slick body that was perched on the beach and his eyes landed on a red patch of sand, that was gradually expanding, near the far end of their tail.

 

His breathing picked up as he looked between the spot of blood and the mermaid.

 

_What do I do? What the fuck do I do? Uuhhhhfffuuck_

 

Kuroo realized he was still standing dangerously on the rocky cliff and continued to make his way around the corner. As he got closer, he could hear the mermaid start to hiss, but really Kuroo had no choice. Well it was a choice between encroaching on this creature's personal space or trying to turn around on that tight corner which would probably lead to him just falling to his rocky, oceany death.

 

Once his feet touched the sand, Kuroo raised up his hands in surrender.

 

“I-I come in peace?” Kuroo mentally kicked himself for stupidly repeating something from one of Oikawa’s weird space movies, but what else was he supposed to say?

 

The creature harshly glared at him, staying silent. They curled their tail up more, webbed hands clutching the injured area.

 

Kuroo just stood there and stared, fully taking in the creatures beauty. Their body was thin and streamlined, probably making them a powerful and fast swimmer. They had piercing golden eyes, reminding him of Yaku’s cat, and golden hair to match. Their tale was also a gorgeous shimmering gold, with some scales traveling up from the tail and scattered over their torso, framing their hips and ribs. The tale wasn’t a solid gold though, there were patches of sleek black scales on different parts of it, reminding Kuroo of a koi fish. From what he could see, they also had gorgeous, lacey black fins speckled with gold at the side of their tale. He assumed they probably had a larger one of their back, but with the way they were sitting he couldn’t tell.

 

The creature hissed once more, louder this time, snapping Kuroo out of his thoughts. _Right. They’re injured and probably extremely terrified right now… okay not probably, definitely…_

 

“I can help you, okay?” Kuroo said tentatively. “If you promise to stay here, I can run back to my house and get some stuff to take care of your injury”

 

The mermaid stared at him long and hard before it pushed itself back into the water. Kuroo flinched, slightly startled by the sudden movement. His heart clenched as he saw the wince on the creature’s face as it submerged itself in the water.

 

Kuroo didn’t know what to say. If they wanted to leave so be it, he couldn’t stop them.

 

“Okay” A tiny voice peeped up from the water.

 

Kuroo’s eyes widened in surprise. _They can actually understand me?!?!? oH MY GOD- WAIT KUROO DON’T FREAK OUT, STAY COOL THEY NEED YOUR HELP_

 

“Oh uhm-” Kuroo started, but was cut off.

 

“My skin was getting dry so I had to get back into the water” The mermaid spoke up, a slight strain in their voice.

 

“R-right… Ok so I’ll be right back with supplies! It might take some time so don’t get impatient and leave” Kuroo gave the mermaid a smile, hoping it will make them feel safer.

 

The creature just continued to stare at him with those big golden eyes that were resting right above the water, and gave him a slight nod.

 

Kuroo turned and carefully made his way back over the corner. Once he was back at the rocky alcove he hurried to his and Yaku’s apartment. Before making it to the apartment, he stopped abruptly, realizing that any first aid kit they had probably wouldn’t work on the mermaid. At this thought Kuroo changed directions and made his way for the rehabilitation center. He’d gone through training on how to handle marine animal injuries and has helped out with a few injured dolphins so he knew something there could help.

 

Despite volunteering there, this _was_ a bit of breaking and entering, even if he was using the keys they gave him to break in. He’d have to come up with some excuse later as to why he was nabbing marine animal first aid kits.

 

After the successful infiltration, Kuroo made his way back over to the private beach. It was a bit harder getting there with the bulky first aid bag over his shoulder, but he made it nonetheless. He couldn’t see the creature, but once he stepped foot on the sand, those golden eyes popped up over the surface of the water.

 

The mermaid slowly made its way to the shore and hoisted itself up onto the send. They let out a long hiss as they dragged their tail up, but Kuroo noticed this was more out of pain than out of fear of him.

 

Kuroo moved to the side of his tail that was injured and opened up the first aid kit. He took a small towel out of the bag and laid it on the said. He motioned for the creature to put their tail on the towel, and luckily they obliged.

 

He inspected the gash and winced at how big it was. _This will definitely take some time to heal_.

 

When Kuroo looked back up from the injury, the mermaid was already staring at him. Their gaze practically boring holes into his head.

 

“So-”

 

“How do you know this will help me?” The creature spoke up, their tone harsh.

 

Kuroo closed his mouth, rethinking what he wanted to say. “I’ve helped injured dolphins before, and this is the same stuff I use when helping them. I don’t know how well it will work on scales, but it’s the best I have. All of this stuff won’t wash off easily in water, and the bandages I have are made for this stuff, so…. y-yeah”

 

Kuroo awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as they continued to stare at him. They gave a slight nod and relaxed their shoulders a bit. Kuroo took this as an ‘o.k.’ and started to take some things out of the first aid kit.

 

“I’m going to clean the wound first and then sanitize it before I put an ointment on and bandage it…. This might hurt a bit” Kuroo looked into those golden eyes, looking for any kind of response.

 

He got a hesitant nod in return.

 

Kuroo sucked in a breath as he started the cleaning. The creature let out a pained yelp and grabbed onto Kuroo’s arm. Tight.

 

_Oh wow okay so they have claws and they’re very sharp- hOLY FUCK that hurts_

 

Kuroo tried to ignore the claws digging into his arm and continued to clean the wound. Once he finished up he put the cleaning stuff back into the kit, and took out some of the sanitizing wipes to quickly go over the wound once more. The mermaid didn’t latch onto his arm again this time, meaning it probably wasn’t as painful. _That’s good._

 

They stayed silent as Kuroo finished up covering the wound with ointment and bandaging it up. Once he was done, and all supplies put away, he took a look at his arm, where the mermaid was gripping him. He lifted his sleeve to reveal deep cuts where the claws once were, blood slowly trickling down his arm.

 

“M’sorry” He heard the creature mutter.

 

He looked over to them and it was probably the first time they weren’t relentlessly staring at him. Their gaze was focused toward the bandages, their hands picking at it slightly.

 

“It’s fine- hey don’t pick at your bandages” Kuroo said. “Um so.. That’s a pretty nasty wound and will probably take some time to heal… would you mind letting me check up on you? To, ya know, make sure it doesn’t get infected and what not”

 

The creature stared at him silently for some time before slipping back into the water without a word.

 

Kuroo flinched at the slight splash they made and stared at the water until he saw those golden eyes pop up above the surface. This time, the creature decided to show its whole head.

 

“Okay… tomorrow?” They said quietly.

 

“Yeah.. Yeah! That’d be great” Kuroo beamed. “Oh wait!” He exclaimed, causing the creature to flinch. “Before you go, what’s your name?”

 

“...Kenma” They answered after a slight pause.

 

“Nice to meet you Kenma, I’m Kuroo”


	2. Chapter 2

   After carefully returning the equipment he borrowed from the rehabilitation center, Kuroo finally made his way home. It was well after dark and Kuroo didn’t even think about the fact that his roommate was probably worried and wondering where he was. Approaching the apartment Kuroo heard a booming voice coming from within, that without a doubt had to be Bokuto.  Once he opened the door everyone went silent. Yaku was standing near the door, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, and Kuroo winced, mentally preparing himself for the scolding. 

 

“How long were you out by the rocks?! You  _ know  _ it’s dangerous out there past dark, right? I’d like to think we’re both capable adults, but honestly you and the word adult don’t exactly go hand in ha- JESUS! Your arm?? What the fuck happened to you?!” Yaku’s facial expressions turned from angry to angry AND concerned. 

 

Kuroo looked down at his arm, that was still bleeding slightly but most of the blood was starting to dry on his arm  making it itchy. 

 

“Uh well-” Kuroo was interrupted before he could even try to explain himself. 

 

“DUDE!” Bokuto exclaimed from where he was on the couch. 

 

His best bro made his way over to the door, so he could see Kuroo better, and then stared at where he was bleeding. 

 

“Wait! Don’t tell me you went searching for mothman without me?! God and you even got a cool battle scar!” Bokuto yelled despite the dejected look on his face. 

 

“What?- No! Bro I would never go looking for mothman without you, what do you take me for? A fool?” 

 

“No!” Bokuto exclaimed.

 

“Yes” Yaku deadpanned.

 

They were silent for a moment before Yaku let out a dejected sigh. 

 

“Well we gotta get that arm cleaned up before you get an infection.” Yaku pointed over at the bathroom, signaling for Kuroo to get his ass in there. 

 

Kuroo sat on the toilet and watched Yaku as he rummaged through their bathroom cabinets for a first aid kit. Bokuto stayed in the doorway, leaning his body against the frame. Seeing as they were all quiet at the moment, Kuroo took the time to think over his situation. He thought about Kenma and the fact that he  _ actually _ just met a mermaid. Not even just met, but he helped them and was going to see them tomorrow! He wanted to rub it in both Yaku  _ and  _ Bokuto’s face but, some part of him told him that that probably wasn’t the best idea. He knew Yaku wouldn’t do any harm, but he worked at a research center what if he told his superiors? What if they wanted to  _ catch _ Kenma? He couldn’t have that. He decided for now to keep quiet about Kenma, he’d have to come up with some stupid excuse as to how he hurt his arm. 

 

“Jesus christ” Yaku muttered as he lifted Kuroo’s sleeve that was crusted in blood. 

 

“Gnarly, right?” Kuroo said with a smirk, gaining him a sharp look from Yaku but a high five from Bokuto. 

 

“What kind of animal did you piss off for this to happen?” Yaku asked, quirking an eyebrow as he got out the antiseptic. 

 

“Not mothman, right?” Bokuto said with a pout.

 

“Dude, I’m telling you I didn’t go out looking for mothman without you! You gotta believe me. You’re like… my bestest bro man…” Kuroo said softly but with a lot of emotion. 

 

“Bro…” Bokuto said softly, wiping a fake tear from his eye. 

 

“You guys are so gross” Yaku said, rolling his eyes. “Ok but seriously, how did you get this? These cuts are deep… I don’t think you need stitches though”

 

Kuroo winced and tried not to make a pained sound as Yaku cleaned off all the dried blood so that he could get to the actual wound better. 

 

“Uh I fought a mountain lion?” Kuroo questioned more than stated. 

 

“Kuroo you will forever be the worse liar… next to Bokuto that is” Yaku stated, prodding at the wounds. 

 

“Hey!” Bokuto pouted. 

 

“Don’t take it as an insult Bo. Think of it as… we’re too trustworthy and honest to dirty ourselves with lies.” Kuroo said reassuringly.  

 

“Oh, I like the sound of that” Bokuto beamed. 

 

“Anyway” Yaku spoke up again, catching their attention, “if you said that with a more certain tone I’d believe it. I mean these claw marks seem like they could be from a young mountain lion or something…” 

 

“And that’s what they’re from” Kuroo said with a matter-of-fact tone. 

 

“Kuroo I really don’t think I can believe you… but it weirdly makes sense so whatever” Yaku didn’t try to question it any further and continued with finishing up fixing Kuroo’s wound in silence. 

 

“Wow bro, a mountain lion? You’re so cool, and manly” Bokuto said, pretending to swoon. 

 

“What can I say, it just how it be” Kuroo smirked, flexing his uninjured arm.

 

Bokuto gasped and sunk to his knees, draping an arm dramatically over his head “Oh my heart! My gay little heart!”

 

“Will you two stop!”

 

\---

 

Kuroo woke up irritated at the sound of his blaring alarm. It was Sunday and he wanted to sleep in, but it was also his busiest day when it came to tutoring. All the students doing last minute homework and cramming right before the school week started. He had to be at his first students house at 10 and from there he’d be hopping around to different students until about 5. He usually had some students he’d meet at 7 or 8pm, but since they didn’t schedule for this week, he assumed they were all good on their studies at the moment. 

 

His arm still ached from where Kenma dug into him and he’d have to be sure to check on it and rebandage it after his shower. 

 

After washing up and dressing his wound, Kuroo made his way into the kitchen. It was quiet, meaning Yaku was probably still asleep. Or he went out. Either way he was home alone. Kuroo took his time getting his breakfast ready, his mind still not believing yesterday's events, but the pain in his arm told him it was all real. He had no idea how he was going to get through the day without being horribly distracted, especially with the fact that he’d get to go see Kenma once he finished work. At that thought Kuroo realized he was going to have to get the first aid kit from the rehabilitation center again. Not many people would still be there by the time he finished tutoring but it still worried him. He didn’t want to be kicked out of the center for borrowing their equipment, but it was for a good cause right? 

 

Kuroo shook his head as he finished up his breakfast and made his way to sit down at the table. He’ll just cross that bridge when he gets there. 

 

 

As the day went on Kuroo’s mind was muddled with thoughts of Kenma. He was glad none of his students were in serious help, because honestly he was way too distracted right now to explain chemistry in depth. Most of what he did today consisted of sitting around and waiting for the students to ask him a question about a concept or particular problem, so it was easy enough. 

 

Once finished with his last tutees, Kuroo grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the rehabilitation center. The parking lot was pretty empty, so he assumed not many people were left inside. 

 

The door was unlocked so Kuroo didn’t have to worry about fiddling with his keys that had way too many keychains on it. Once in, he made his way over to where he knew the equipment was. Right before grabbing it, he heard someone speak up behind him. 

 

“Kuroo?” They said tentatively. 

 

He straightened his back and turned around, to see none other than his favorite receptionist, Yachi. 

“Yachi! Jesus, you scared me” Kuroo laughed nervously. 

 

“Scared you? You nearly gave me a heart attack! You didn’t even say anything when you came in” Yachi sputtered “What are you doing by the first aid equipment?”

 

“Uh” Kuroo hesitated, not really knowing what to say. “I just need to borrow one real quick, don’t tell anyone, okay?” 

 

Yachi stared at him for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Did you find an injured animal or something?”

 

“Yeah… or something… It’s really important though so it’d mean a lot if you could keep this on the hush hush” Kuroo held his hands together in a pleading motion. 

 

“Alright” Yachi said, determined look on her face. “You got me on your side! J-just, make sure it comes back, okay? And you might have to pay a bit to replace the materials you’re using”

 

“Okay, I can do that! Thanks, my perfect ray of sunshine!” Kuroo gave her a quick, awkward side hug before grabbing the equipment and leaving the facility. 

 

The sun was still up in the sky, it being summer meant the sun wouldn’t set until at least 8pm. Kuroo quickly made his way back to the secret beach and was a bit disheartened to see that Kenma wasn’t there. 

 

_ Well, we didn’t exactly come up with a time for when to meet… _

 

Kuroo plopped down on the sand and placed the first aid bag next to him. He stared out into the ocean and ran his hand through the sand absentmindedly. After a couple minutes Kuroo noticed those golden eyes looking at him from the above the surface of the water. They were a little ways off shore, but they steadily moved closer. 

 

“Kenma?” Kuroo spoke up. 

 

Soon enough, their entire head came above the surface and they continued to stare at Kuroo through their hair. 

 

“I-I brought the stuff from yesterday. How’s your tail?” Kuroo tried to ignore how he stuttered and gestured at the bag next to him. He tried to make his voice as soothing as possible, in an effort to coax Kenma out of the water. 

 

It’d seem to work, seeing as Kenma made their way onto the beach, leaving a decent space between themselves and Kuroo. 

 

“What took you so long” Kenma said after a moment of silence. 

 

“Sorry, I had work and stuff today” Kuroo said as he rummaged through the first aid bag.

 

“Does it hurt? Your tail that is” Kuroo looked at the now loose bandages on their tail and then back up at Kenma. 

 

“What do you think?” Kenma snarled. 

 

“Hey, hey! No need to get snappy” Kuroo raised his hands defensively and let out a nervous laugh. 

 

“...Sorry” Kenma muttered. They looked down at the sand, causing their hair to hide their face. 

 

Kuroo sucked in a breath and tried not to think about how cute Kenma looked right now. He shook his head after a moment to try and clear his thoughts and began undoing Kenma’s bandages. 

 

“Wow, you heal pretty fast” Kuroo said, eyes widening in surprise upon looking at the wound. 

 

Kenma stared at Kuroo for a moment, a quizzical expression on their face. “And you don’t?”

 

“Ah, no… it usually takes quite some time for humans to heal from a serious injury.”

 

Kenma let out a scoff and Kuroo could have sworn they were smirking. 

 

“A-anyway, it’s still sensitive right?” Kuroo asked. 

 

Kenma nodded in response and delicately ran their fingers over their wound. 

 

“Alright, so I’ll clean it a bit and then put some more of that ointment on, okay? I’ll have to bandage it again as well” Kuroo looked at Kenma waiting for the okay before he started. 

 

After getting another little nod from them, Kuroo began cleaning the wound. They hissed a bit but it didn’t seem as painful as it was yesterday. He fixed and bandaged the wound in a comfortable silence, and once he was done he put everything back in the bag and sat contently next to Kenma. 

 

“...Thank you” Kenma said quietly after a while.

 

“Oh, it’s no problem!” Kuroo said with a smile.

 

“How.. how’s your arm?” Kenma asked.

 

“It’s fine, I think. I don’t need stitches so that’s rad.” Kuroo lifted up his sleeve to show Kenma his bandages. There was a bit of blood staining them, but not an alarming amount. 

 

“What are stitches?” Kenma asked again, their eyebrows knitting together. 

 

“Well, when we get really deep cuts, they won’t close up that well on their own so we have to sew it together so it can heal properly” Kuroo explained. 

 

Kenma continued to look at him with a puzzled expression, and shrugged deciding not to ask any further. 

 

“U-um so same thing tomorrow?” Kuroo asked hopefully. 

 

“Okay” Kenma replied. Their voice was so soft that Kuroo had to strain to hear them. It was beautiful as well. Like when you hear a beautiful whistle in the wind. 

 

“Would it also be cool if I asked you some questions?” Kuroo asked tentatively. 

 

“Why?” Kenma said, narrowing their eyes at Kuroo. 

 

“I’m just.. curious. About you, and where you come from” Kuroo said truthfully.

 

“Okay… but only if I get to do the same”  

 

“Deal” Kuroo nodded and couldn’t help the smile on his face. “How ‘bout we meet here around the same time tomorrow?”

 

Kenma nodded once more before they silently made their way back into the ocean. Kuroo saw their golden eyes once more, but this time it was accompanied by a small webbed hand that waved at him before they dived down into the depths of the ocean. 

 

Kuroo’s face was practically stinging with how much he was smiling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here's chapter two! I was gonna wait a bit before updating again but i just couldnt wait lol
> 
> hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma's POV

          The scales on Kenma’s tail, as well as their skin, began to cool as they dived deeper into the ocean. With the injury it took a little more effort to swim, but it was relatively painless. The shoal where Kenma lived was a far from the mainland where the humans lived, for the obvious reason of wanting to be hidden. Kenma didn’t know what compelled them to go out so far but they did. 

 

Kenma wasn’t much of a hunter or gatherer. Their parents always boasted about how fast of a swimmer they are and how it could be used as an advantage when hunting, but Kenma just didn’t have the motivation. They could swim fast enough to avoid dangers and that was about all Kenma was willing to use their speed for. However, once of age  _ everyone _ had to partake in something to help out the community. So Kenma decided to work with the gatherers instead of the hunters. They didn’t have the build to be a warrior, so that was obviously out of the question. Kenma already liked collecting things so they didn’t think much of it, besides the fact that it was a bit tedious. 

 

Yesterday, when Kenma was out, half-assedly gathering things for the shoal, they stumbled upon some rusted jewelry that still had a bit of shine to it. They picked it up and put it in the pouch they had tied around their waste and decided to follow where they thought it came from, but they could feel a shift in the tides as they got closer to the mainland and the rocky alcove. At one point Kenma was hit by a particularly strong current, causing them to smack roughly against the rocks, their tail getting snagged on some of the jagged edges causing an injury that was deeper than Kenma was willing to admit. 

 

And that’s when Kuroo happened. 

 

It was the first human Kenma has ever met, and all they knew about them was from the stories their parents and relatives told them growing up. Humans were selfish and greedy and would do anything to catch one of their kind. Kenma remembered how their mother told them how humans were entranced by our beauty. She told them stories of how, if caught, humans would pluck out our scales one by one, and next they would take our eyes that held all the secrets of the ocean and then our hair that moved in harmony with the tides. Kenma shivered just thinking about it.

 

Kenma remembers the fear they felt when seeing Kuroo. Being in such a vulnerable state and at the mercy of a human did not settle well in their mind. Even with the warning hiss they gave he still approached and the amount of dread that washed over Kenma paralyzed them. Kenma was confused, surprised, and overall intrigued that Kuroo actually  _ helped  _ them. When the man disappeared Kenma expected that he had been deceived and that he would bring back more humans, so naturally they slipped back into the water to hide. But when they saw him return with a bag that was most likely the mentioned first aid, it just didn’t make sense. Kenma got curious. And then it was decided. Kenma allowed Kuroo to help them, seeing as what he was doing so far wasn’t particularly hurting them. But that didn’t mean Kenma trusted him. 

 

_ Not yet.  _

 

Kenma shook their head as they swam, willing the little voice that told them Kuroo wasn’t “half bad” to be quiet. But they couldn’t help but think how Kuroo was different. He was so different from all the stories they heard. 

 

_ Maybe some humans are nice.  _

 

Kenma shut their eyes tight for a moment and tried not to think too hard about it. They agreed to meet Kuroo tomorrow and with the deal they’d made Kenma hoped from the questions they have that they’ll be able to figure out more about humans. More about Kuroo. 

 

As Kenma got closer to the shoal, they heard a shift in the water and then saw a flash of orange. 

 

Kenma let out a bored sigh as they continued towards the shoal. 

 

“Hinata, stop swimming circles and just stay still for a moment” Kenma spoke up. 

 

Kenma’s best friend, Hinata, suddenly appeared at their side. 

 

“You’ve been out collecting stuff more often! Ya know it worries me having you away for so long, especially with that injury!” Hinata scolded. But with his childish face and voice it was hard for Kenma to take him seriously. 

 

“I know I just… have been finding a lot of interesting stuff” Kenma lied. 

 

“Really?” Hinata peered down at the pouch around Kenma’s waist. “But your bag’s not very full...”

 

Hinata was quiet for a moment before he let out an overdramatic gasp.

 

“You’re  _ lying _ ” Hinata put a hand to his chest, mocking offense. 

 

Kenma rolled their eyes and remained silent as they arrived at the shoal. 

 

“Kenma you  _ have  _ to tell me where you’ve been! If you don’t I’ll just follow you next time” Hinata warned with a childish pout in his face. 

 

“Ugh, please don’t” Kenma mumbled.

 

“Then tell!” Hinata basically yelled. 

 

“Will you shush” Kenma warned in a quiet, rushed whisper.. “I...I’ll tell you but not here. Somewhere more private” 

 

Hinata gave him a puzzled look but nodded in confirmation. 

 

“Usual hideout?” He asked. 

 

“Yeah, tonight” Kenma said before he parted with Hinata, heading back home. 

 

\--

 

Kenma got to the hideout first, having already mastered sneaking out of his parents den by now. Their hideout was off the shoal and a bit deeper in the water. The shoal could still be seen from the hideout, but it was extremely hard to see the hideouts location from the shoal. The shadows that the moonlight cast on the waters cloaked the hideout perfect. The hideout was a small cave-like structure, its entrance being concealed by large stocks of seaweed. Inside, Kenma had a lot of the trinkets they’ve found and collected over the years. Even though they had quite a few in their actual room, they also kept a few here, to make the place feel more special. 

 

After a couple minutes of waiting, Hinata finally appeared. 

 

“Took you long enough” Kenma muttered, but a small smile played at his face. 

 

“Sorry I’m not an escape artist, like you” Hinata huffed. 

 

Kenma chuckled. 

 

“Soooo, you just gonna sit there quietly or are you gonna tell me what you been up to?” Hinata quirked an eyebrow, nudged Kenma with his elbow. 

 

Kenma let out a sigh and thought quietly for a minute, leaving Hinata in suspense. 

 

“....I met a human”

 

Hinata gawked and Kenma rushed to cover his mouth. 

 

“Shh! I know it’s hard for you to be quiet, but c’mon” Kenma hissed. 

 

“Kenma!!” Hinata whisper yelled “What the heckie! Are you okay? Is  _ that  _ how you got that injury?” Hinata’s eyes were filled with concern. 

 

“No, I slammed into some rocks… but the human.. his name is Kuroo and he’s the one who's been helping my wound heal.” Kenma admitted.

 

Hinata stared at them silently, encouraging them to go on. 

 

“I… I don’t think he’s bad. I mean if it wasn’t for him I don’t know how long my tail would’ve been bleeding out, or if I’d be able to make it back home again at all that day.” Kenma’s eyes were trained on his tail as they spoke. 

 

“Are you seeing him again tomorrow?” Hinata said quietly.

 

Kenma nodded in response. 

 

“Can.. can I come?” Hinata prodded, but threw his hands up defensively when Kenma narrowed their eyes at him. “I wanna make sure you’re safe!”

 

“Look” Kenma sighed “If… if he turns out to be like all the humans we’ve heard about, then I don’t want you to also get caught up in all of… whatever this is. If it’s just me that’s taken then.. that’s okay”

 

“Don’t say that” Hinata’s voice strained, and when Kenma looked at his face he looked like he was about to cry. 

 

“Hinata, don’t” Kenma warned. 

 

“I’m sorry! You’re just my BEST friend and.. and and AND” Hinata started sniffling before he could continue. 

 

Kenma warped an arm around his shoulder and rubbed soothing circles into it with their thumb. 

 

“Don’t worry… I think it’s safe. I think he’s safe. Just trust me okay? And if everything turns out alright then you can come with me another time” Kenma said softly. 

 

Hinata nodded and wiped at his eyes, the ocean water blending with his tears. 

 

“If.. if you don’t come back tomorrow I’ll kick your ass” Hinata said, hiccuping slightly. 

 

“How are you gonna kick my ass if I’m not here?” Kenma deadpanned. 

 

“S-shut up!” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kenmas POV again

           Kenma went about the next day doing their usual tasks around the shoal. They went out with the gatherers for a bit in the morning and spent most of the day exercising their tail so that the wound didn’t get too stiff. Kenma wanted to look under the bandages since they were certain that it was healed by now, but they decided to just wait until they saw Kuroo. 

 

Kenma could tell Hinata was anxious with the way he checked up on them every now and then, poking his head around corners and fidgeting with his fins. Kenma thought it was adorable but also really annoying. However, seeing how anxious and doting Hinata was did make them a bit calmer for some reason.

 

Throughout the day, Kenma would swim closer to the surface to check the time, and when they noticed the position of the sun they decided to head out. As they were leaving the noticed something, or rather someone, following them. Kenma wasn’t even that far from the shoal yet, but they turned around nonetheless to confront Hinata. When they turned around they found not only Hinata but Kageyama too. Kageyama had a longer tail and torso than both Kenma and Hinata. He had a dark blue tail with long fins on the side that mimicked those of a flying fish. 

 

Kenma looked between the two of them with a questioning look. 

“Uh um, he followed me!” Hinata blurted out. 

 

“No shit idiot, what the fuck are you guys doing going out here anyway?” Kageyama said, glaring between the two of them. 

 

Kenma continued to stare at the two of them with an unreadable expression. They sighed deeply before deciding to speak up. “I’m going out to just collect things like I usually do, and Hinata’s following me because he’s worried like usual” 

 

“Y-yeah!” Hinata nodded energetically. 

 

Kageyama looked back and forth between the two of them and narrowed his eyes. After a couple moments of silence, he shrugged and murmured something about them not staying out too late. As Kenma watched Kageyama swim back towards the shoal, they noticed Hinata practically deflate with relief. 

 

“Oh man Kenma, I’m sorry I didn’t know he’d follow me! He was practically nagging me as I was swimming after you! He can be so stupid and annoying and nosy sometimes, ri-” Kenma cut Hinata off as he ranted with a cold glare. 

 

“And why exactly were you following me?” They asked. 

 

“AAAA” Hinata yelled overdramatically causing Kenma to flinch at the noise. “ ‘Cause I’m worried about you!! You literally told me yesterday you’re going to see a human so I just…”

 

Kenma swam closer to Hinata and put a hand on his shoulder. “And I came back after I saw the human yesterday, right? And I’ll come back today too… I’ll be okay” 

 

Kenma’s tone was reassuring enough for Hinata to at least stop following them all the way out. Kenma gave him a nod before they turned and left, heading towards the mainland

 

**

 

As Kenma approached the small beach that they’d been meeting Kuroo on, they took note on how the human came alone again. Kenma turned this thought over in their head a bit and came to the understanding that Kuroo was keeping their meetings a secret. A small smile crept onto Kenma’s face as a feeling of relief washed over them. 

 

_ So maybe he really is different.  _

 

Kenma popped their head over the surface of the water, catching Kuroo’s attention. He waved over at Kenma and they swam up onto the shore. 

 

“Hey” Kuroo greeted, “How’s your tail feel?”

 

“I think it’s healed… I haven’t looked though” Kenma replied. 

 

Kuroo nodded in understanding before reaching towards the bandages, “May I?”

 

Kenma nodded and he began taking off the bandages. After they were all off he touched around the wound slightly, asking if Kenma felt any pain. Kenma shook his head, indicating that there was no pain and Kuroo let out a sigh of relief. 

 

“Wow, you merfolk really do heal fast that’s incredible” Kuroo murmured, more to himself than to Kenma. “Well, I don’t think you need bandages anymore, but how about I just put a bit more of this ointment on just in case?” 

 

Kenma nodded and watched as Kuroo began to rub the ointment on the now-healed wound. After it’s applied and Kuroo puts everything away in the bag, the two of them sit quietly for a couple of minutes. 

 

“I thought you wanted to ask me questions?” Kenma asked, quirking an eyebrow as he looked over at Kuroo. 

 

“O-oh, yeah I do, that’s still ok right?” Kuroo laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. 

 

“Yeah… but I also get to ask you stuff as well” Kenma said quietly. 

 

“Of course!” Kuroo beamed. 

 

Kenma could feel themselves blush slightly just from seeing Kuroo’s excitement. This was all still very confusing to them and if anyone were to tell them that this was how their first encounter with a human would go, Kenma would laugh in their face. 

 

“So already figured out that you can heal real fast,” Kuroo thought out loud “Do you lead a solitary existence?” 

 

Kenma shook his head, but with the look on Kuroo’s face he obviously wanted a longer answer. Kenma let out a small sigh before they spoke, “No… we live in communities. I’ve never met other merfolk outside of our shoal, probably because it’s hard to find niches that have everything we need in the vastness of the ocean so other communities that are out there are probably very very far from us... “ Kenma looked over at Kuroo to gauge his response and they were a bit taken aback by how interested he was. Kenma wasn’t very used to others being interested in them or what they have to say, so they continued. “U-um… so yeah we have families and certain roles in the shoal…”

 

“Roles?” Kuroo interjected. 

 

“Yeah, once we become a certain age we take on duties to help out the community… for instance my father wanted me to be a hunter since I’m a very fast swimmer but I wasn’t interested so I decided to help out the gatherers instead” Kenma felt themselves relaxing the more they spoke to Kuroo. 

 

“Oh cool, I guess I understand that, do you guys have like a market? Or some kind of ocean economy?” Kuroo asked next. 

 

“An ocean... what?” Kenma gave him a confused look. “I’m not sure what that is, so I’m going to say no” 

 

“Amazing… life under the sea has successfully escaped the clutches of capitalism” Kuroo said with a wistful sigh. 

 

Kenma had no idea what he was talking about, but they figured that Kuroo was a lot weirder than most humans probably were so they didn’t really mind.

 

“Alright, so-” Kuroo started talking again, but this time Kenma cut him off.

 

“W-wait” Kenmas voice was hesitant, still a bit afraid to be more assertive with the human. “It’s my turn now”

 

“Oh, right, true” Kuroo nodded. 

 

Kenma took a minute to think, realizing that they didn’t really have a concrete question to ask. They decided to settle on something more simple, not really in the mood to hear the complexities of human society.  “What do you do during the day?”

 

“Well it depends on the day, but during the week I tutor kids in chemistry and volunteer and a rescue and rehabilitation center for marine animals” Kuroo answered. 

 

“Wow chemistry? So you’re actually smart…” Kenma said sarcastically. 

 

This caught Kuroo off guard and his expression went from shocked to completely offended. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you came for my fucking  _ life _ like that, rude!” Kuroo laughed and Kenma let out a bit of a laugh themselves. 

 

“Wait.. you know what chemistry is?” Kuroo asked. 

 

“We may live in the ocean, but the wonders of science haven’t alluded us” Kenma deadpanned. 

“R-right” Kuroo said, slightly embarrassed. 

 

“So… since you help at that rescue and rehabilitation center… is that how you knew how to deal with my tail?” Kenma asked. 

 

“Ah, yep! I mean it’s not like i’ve dealt with merfolk before but I just kinda guessed and hoped it would be similar, and thank god it was” Kuroo chuckled. 

 

The two of them continued to talk as the sun gradually set. It ended up with Kuroo ranting more about his life and Kenma was thankful for that. They still weren’t sure on what they should share and what they shouldn’t share with the human. Even with Kuroo being as nice as he was, it didn’t wash away Kenma’s general fear of humans. 

 

Kenma learned that Kuroo lives with another human named Yaku, who he’s been friends with since he was a teenager. This lead to Kenma learning that when humans become a certain age they tend to move away from their families and pursue careers. Kenma stopped him before he got into the purpose of careers and such since they could tell they would get confused if he continued talking about that. Kenma learned about Kuroo’s best friend, Bokuto, and all the weird things they do. Kenma was surprised with how comfortable it was to be with Kuroo and how easily he could laugh with him. It was a bit unsettling, since Kenma rarely had this connection with anyone, it even took a while to warm up to Hinata. 

 

Before the sun fully set, Kenma slipped back into the ocean, taking Kuroo off guard. 

 

“I should head back before it gets darker…” Kenma said from the water.

 

“Oh, same here…” Kuroo stood from the beach and fidgeted with the bag on his shoulder. 

 

Kenma was about the dive under the water until they heard Kuroo’s voice. 

 

“So… will I be able to see you again?” Kuroo’s tone was so hopeful that Kenma didn’t know how to refuse. 

 

Kenma nodded slightly before they fully thought out the implications of what he meant. 

 

“Holy balls, really?” Kuroo had that giant smile on his face again and Kenma tried to pretend that didn’t make them blush. “Wow, I was certain that after fixing your tail you wouldn’t wanna see me again” Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

 

“I need some time” Kenma spoke up from the water and effectively stopping Kuroo from rambling further. 

 

Kuroo gave them a questioning, but understanding look, silently urging them to continue.

 

“It’s… it’s suspicious if I’m gone for so long every day… plus my shoal is sort of far from here so it’d work best if we didn’t meet every day.” Kenma elaborated.

 

“Makes sense” Kuroo nodded thoughtfully. “When would be good for you?” 

 

Kenma thought for a second before answering. “Seven days from now?”

 

“So this time next week?” Kuroo replied.

 

“I don’t know what a week is, but sure” Kenma said, their answer causing Kuroo to laugh softly. 

 

“Alright, see you then my sea faring wonder boy” Kuroo said with a smirk as he waved. 

 

“Call me that again and there won’t be a next time” Kenma glared long and hard at him before dipping under the water, Kuroo’s laugh accompanying them as they descended into sea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant to update sooner but so much shit has been going on with my family and i been mad stressin... but thankfully things are slowly getting better which is great since i leave the country for work next month and id hate to have all this shit at the back of my mind while working abroad
> 
> ANYWAY ENOUGH OF MY SMALL PERSONAL LIFE RANT - I HOPE YALL ENJOYED THIS UPDATE because i sure has heck have no idea where im going with this lol i think this fic is mainly gonna be nice fun meme times with probably no angst (PROBABLY) 
> 
> please leave comments & thoughts <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto and Kuroo have a bromantic heart to heart in the sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up things get randomly serious for a hot sec in this chapter??
> 
> wasn't planning this but it happened... enjoy!

        Kuroo got back to the apartment in time for dinner, and for missing dinner with his friends for the past two nights he took it upon himself to get some takeout from a thai place that was close to the apartment complex on his way home. When Kuroo opened the front door he immediately recognized the mess of shoes in the entrance way and smiled. Bokuto and Akaashi were over, as usual. Honestly, with the amount of times they came over they might as well just live here. 

 

“Honeys, I’m Hoooome~” Kuroo yelled from the doorway

 

“The apartment isn’t even that big, you don’t have to ye-” Yaku started, but was cut off by Bokuto.

 

“Oh darling!” Bokuto sobbed in an over dramatic tone, leaving Akaashi on the couch and heading over towards Kuroo, “You’ve been away at war for so long, I-I thought you’d never come home!” 

 

“Can you guys really not act stupid for at least one second?” Yaku said, raising his voice. 

 

“Yaku, shush, indulge us, also! I brought takeout, so you’re welcome” Kuroo said smugly, holding up the big bags of food. 

 

Yaku gave him an incredulous look as he watched Kuroo walk farther into the apartment and into the kitchen to put the bags down. “Why the fuck is the one who’s always strapped for cash being as nice as to treat us all to food?”

 

Kuroo scoffed and had a genuinely offended look on his face, “I’m  _ always _ this nice!”

 

Everyone in the room except for Kuroo burst out in laughter. 

 

“WOW I can’t  _ believe _ you guys” Kuroo huffed and then looked over at Bokuto, “I expected this from Yaku and Akaashi, but you Bo?”

 

“Kuroo we both know you can be an asshole” Bokuto said as he calmed down his laughter.

 

Kuroo thought for a second before shrugging, “True.” 

 

He began opening the food, Yaku joining him in the kitchen to grab plates for everyone. “So, I kinda just bought a shit ton of stuff ‘cause we all like food and eat a lot? Take whatever you fancy” 

 

After they all dished themselves out food, they gathered around the couches, Akaashi and Yaku snagging the couch making Kuroo and Bokuto sit on the floor. They decided to turn on a shitty horror film, upon Akaashi’s request, and sat silently as they ate and watched the film. 

 

“So,” Akaashi spoke up as a gross cliche overly heterosexual horror movie sex scene started, “You’ve been spending a lot of time out of the house recently, Kuroo”

 

“Hm?” Kuroo glanced over at Akaashi, mouth stuffed with food. “Uh, yeah I guess so” 

 

Akaashi gave him a sly look before continuing, “Have you possibly found someone?”

 

Bokuto’s mouth made a perfect O shape as he looked over at Kuroo. 

 

“Don’t give me that look Bo, and no” Kuroo said pointedly, not exactly sure on how to explain Kenma to them. As much as he wanted to tell his friends and have them all meet, Kuroo had a feeling that probably wasn’t the best idea for now. 

 

“Are you looking for mothman again without me?” Bokuto pouted. 

 

“What? Bo, no! How many times do I have to tell you.” Kuroo said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. 

 

“The fact that you two take hunting for mothman so seriously is a great concern of mine” Yaku deadpanned. "He's not even a Japanese cryptid..." He mumbled as an afterthought.

 

“Well if it’s not you getting hot dates, then what have you been up to?” Akaashi continued to ask. 

 

“Uh, just been doing extra work, ya know? Volunteering a bit more, tutoring more” Kuroo answered as he avoided eye contact and pretended to focus on the movie. 

 

“Kuroo remember when I said you suck at lying?” Yaku said as he swung his feet at Kuroo. 

 

“Get your nasty gremlin feet away from me and my food” Kuroo said in mock disgust as he swatted at the offending feet. 

 

“No deflecting” Yaku said as he continued to shove his feet at Kuroo. 

 

“Kuroo, if you have found someone I am very happy for you and hope things go well” Akaashi said reassuringly. 

 

“Oh! Can we meet them? Kuroo! Let’s have a double date” Bokuto shouted, getting more excited about his proposed idea. 

 

“Bo, sorry but no. We  _ can’t _ have a double date because I haven’t met anyone” Kuroo replied rolling his eyes before getting up to get more food. 

 

For the rest of the night they continued to watch bad movies as they finished up all of the food. Every once in awhile Bokuto, Yaku, and Akaashi would play a small guessing game as to what Kuroo has been up to, but with Kuroo’s lack of participation the game died down after a few tries. Shortly after their third shitty movie, Bokuto and Akaashi headed home, which wasn’t too far since they were practically neighbors. 

 

“So, you sure you’re not getting into trouble? I mean you started coming home late after that night you came back with an awful injury, which is  _ still  _ healing by the way” Yaku said as they both started cleaning up the living room. 

 

“Yes  _ mom, _ I’m sure” Kuroo said as he tossed a pillow back on the couch. 

 

“Kuroo Tetsurou what did I say about calling me mom?” Yaku said, tone strict and glaring holes into Kuroo’s head.

 

“Yes I know sorry please don’t hurt me” Kuroo said quickly holding his hands up in defense. 

 

Yaku let out a deflated sigh and put his hands on his hips (his ‘mom power pose’ according to Kuroo). “Whatever, just don’t do anything stupid”

 

“Pfft, when have I ever done anything stupid?” Kuroo said confidently. 

 

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Yaku said, quirking an eyebrow. 

 

“...No... Anyway, this was fun, I’m going to bed, ‘night!” 

 

***

 

The next day at the rehabilitation center, Kuroo was helping out Yachi at the reception desk. In general Kuroo was spending the day as a floater and helping out with various paper work and assistant work around the centere, which he was fine with him since he loved bothering the small blonde. Since Kuroo hasn’t been borrowing the first aid kits anymore, Yachi didn’t bother asking about it or why he even needed them. She also refrained from talking about it since it was midday and most workers and volunteers were in the vicinity. 

 

Kuroo had his lunch break with Yachi so when it was time for lunch they both continued to chill at the reception desk while they ate. After a couple minutes a few employees passed them and Kuroo realized they were heading towards the first aid kits. Obviously, despite being a tad nervous Kuroo knew there was nothing to worry about since he put everything back just the way it was. 

 

“Hey” One of the employees spoke up, “Aren’t there way less bandages in this kit than there were before?”

 

_ Fuck _

 

Kuroo internally panicked as he remembered that he didn’t exactly replace any of the items he used. Yachi gave Kuroo a nervous look, that was probably supposed to be reprimanding but honestly she just looked scared. 

 

“Someone probably just needed to use some and didn’t replace it, no big deal, not like that much is taken” The other employee said nonchalantly. 

 

Kuroo silently praised the lord for that nonchalant employee. 

 

As the two employees left, a first aid kit slung over one of their shoulders, Kuroo let out a sigh of relief. He felt a small tap on his shoulder, which was actually Yachi’s sad attempt at punching his shoulder.

 

“Y-you could have gotten into so much trouble!” She whisper yelled. 

 

“Yeah, but I didn’t. See? Wasn’t even that big of a deal!” Kuroo chuckled. 

 

“I thought I told you to replace anything you used with new stuff!” She wagged a disapproving finger at his face. 

 

“Yes, and I forgot so I’m sorry. But! It all worked out so it’s cool” Kuroo leaned back in his chair and continued to eat his bento. 

 

Yachi made some disgruntled sound as she went back to eating. 

  
  


Kuroo finished his volunteering a bit early today and ended up being able to leave at around 3pm instead of at 5. He subconsciously was heading towards the beach but remembered that he wasn’t meeting up with Kenma until next week. Kuroo let out some weird sound between a sigh and an “uuggrrh”, but continued to head to the beach. Bokuto was probably finishing up some surf lessons right now so at least his best bro would be there. 

 

As he made his way to the section of the beach that Bokuto was normally instructing at he spotted his friends head of deflated black and gray hair and his over-excited hand gestures. 

 

Kuroo smirked as he realized he was going unnoticed and used this opportunity to sneak up behind Bokuto, because what else were friends for? As he approached he could see Bokuto’s students glancing at him and giving him questioning looks. Obviously Bokuto didn’t notice or catch on to that and continued to give them their end of practice speech and review. Kuroo stifled back a laugh as he reach for Bokuto’s sides and pinched him. Hard. 

 

“FUCK” Bokuto screamed and probably jumped a couple feet in the air, Kuroo didn’t know he was too busy laughing. 

 

Bokuto turned around quickly to look at the culprit, a giant dumb smile spreading across his face when he noticed it was Kuroo. 

 

“Bro! What are you doin’ here?” Bokuto exclaimed as he gave Kuroo a (bruising) slap on the back and then pulling him into a tight hug.

 

“Oh you know, just wanted to see you and get some of the great spine breaking back slaps you give as well as these wonderful wet tight hugs” Kuroo wheezed out as Bokuto’s hug tightened before he let him go. 

 

“Aw man that’s great, we haven’t been able to hang out in so long!” He beamed.

 

“Bo, I literally saw you last night” Kuroo deadpanned.

 

“Like I said, it’s been soooo long” Bokuto said again, ignoring what Kuroo just said. “Anyway, let me just finish up and we can chill”

 

He turned back to his students, all of them staring at the two of them in confusion, as he finished up the rest of whatever he was saying before waving them goodbye. Kuroo wondered if these were a new batch of students, since majority of the kids Bokuto taught knew Kuroo and how he loved to drop by and bother them during practice any time he could. 

 

“I still got some energy in me, wanna catch some waves?” Bokuto suggested as he made his way over to where Kuroo was burying himself in the sand.

 

“You always have energy” Kuroo chuckled, “Sure but I didn’t bring anything with me, left my suit at home and pretty sure the board rental place is closing down soon” Kuroo answered as he pushed more sand over his legs. 

 

“Bruh you’re best friend is literally a surf instructor, I can get you both a board and suit to borrow.” Bokuto joined Kuroo on the sand, helping his friend with burying himself. 

 

“I don’t wanna borrow a suit... that’s gross… don’t want my junk all entrapped in a suit that’s gonna get all wet and moist where some strangers junk has been” Kuroo mumbled. 

 

“First of all, that’s not even close to some of the gross things you’ve done before. And second, you could borrow one of my suits! You know where my junks been” Bokuto offered, flopping back on the sand next to Kuroo. 

 

“Bo, just let me be whiney and picky” Kuroo said, scrunching his nose to show his disgruntlement. 

 

“So you don’t wanna be gnarly surf bros with me?” Bokuto said with a pouty look on his face.

 

Kuroo stared at Bokuto’s face for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Why do you have to say it like that. Urgghghh fine let me borrow a suit and lets go be fucking rad”

 

“That’s the spirit!” Bokuto shot up from the sand, startling at least 5 beach goers. 

 

Kuroo shimmied his way out of the sand and got up, following Bokuto over to what they called the “Staff Shack”. Every other surf instructor hated that name but they went along with it. 

 

Once suited up they grabbed some boards and headed out. It was nearing 4 o’clock, meaning that a lot of people were starting to head home, leaving Bokuto and Kuroo as the only two who were out surfing. There were still a good amount of people swimming closer to shore but they were far out enough that it didn’t matter. Lifeguards went off duty at 8 so they had until then and the waves were still coming in good. 

 

They surfed for a couple of hours, as they got more tired they began surfing less seriously and doing things like who could do the best wipe outs. 

 

The sun was still out but it was slowly descending. They paddled out a bit farther, where the water was calmer and they could just lay on their boards and hang out. 

 

“Hey bruh, you okay?” Bokuto spoke up. 

 

“Yes? I mean I’m gettin’ kinda hungry” Kuroo shrugged. 

 

“Yeah same, but I meant like in general. You did get that injury a few nights back and then you’ve been staying out kind of late without answer your phone.” Bokuto said with a soft tone. 

 

Kuroo didn’t realize that him not responding to texts for a couple hours and coming back late the past couple of days would worry anyone. It was his life to live and he was an adult. Kuroo knew he shouldn’t get defensive about it and that’d only make Bokuto worry more, but Kuroo had been having so much fun meeting a fucking merperson that he didn’t even think that his recent change in schedule would go noticed. 

 

“Oh that, yeah I’m fine, trust me Bo” Kuroo said after a minute of thinking. 

 

“You sure?” Bokuto asked again. 

 

“Yes I am. What’s so weird anyway? Bo, I’m a grown man I can be out doing stuff, that’s not weird!” Kuroo felt himself getting a bit annoyed but tried to control his tone nonetheless. 

 

“Yeah, dude, I get that, but.. I dunno, feels like you’re hiding something? That sounds weird ‘cause like you have every right to not tell me certain things if you’re not comfortable with it, but you just disappearing at night without texting any of us and then not telling us where you’re going? It’s a bit odd and also kinda not safe. Always notify people where you'll be at night! What if you get kidnapped or murdered!” Bokuto sat up as well, straddling his board and turning to face Kuroo.

 

“Ok I get that, but also it was what like three nights in a row? If I was doing it for like a week straight that’d be more worrisome. I’d be worried if you were doing that or something but I don’t think I’d pry this much” Kuroo could tell he sounded annoyed with the way Bokuto was looking at him but he wasn’t going to comment on that. 

 

Bokuto put up his hands in surrender, “Alright, I get it” He lowered his arms and continued to look at Kuroo with concern. “It’s just… you’re not getting involved with drugs again, are you?”

 

Kuroo wanted to scream. Is that really what everyone thought he was out doing? He’s been clean since his senior year of college, that entire intervention debacle and Bo practically never leaving his side really helped him with fixing his problem. What’s worse is that he realized if he came clean now and told Bokuto about meeting a merperson that he’d probably not believe him and actually think he was on drugs.

 

“No! God no! Bokuto fuck, I’m actually really mad you thought that?” Kuroo said, voice straining. “I mean I get it, I see where that conclusion can be made, but I’m not doing that and I promised you I wouldn’t go back to doing that. We  _ always  _ keep each other's promises and I hate that you’d doubt me.”

 

“I’m sorry” Bokuto said, pouting. “I just was worried and it’s the first thing my mind went to.”

 

Kuroo let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his wet, tangled hair. “It’s okay, I forgive you”

 

They sat quietly on their boards for a minute, just feeling how the water slowly rocked them and looking at how the colors of the setting sun reflected off of the ocean's surface. 

 

“So… what were you doing?” Bokuto asked tentatively. 

 

“I can’t tell you right now” Kuroo said bluntly. 

 

“Oh… OH! IS IT A SURPRISE OH MY GOD WE’RE YOU JUST PLANNING A SURPRISE FOR SOMETHING THIS WHOLE TIME?!” Bokuto beamed, easily bouncing back from the previous heavy conversation topic. 

 

Kuroo laughed and was honestly thankful for that, he didn’t really want to spend anymore time dwelling on what Bokuto had brought up.

 

“Yeah… something like that”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol guess who has no idea what they're doing with this story? THIS GUY anyway hope u guys liked this chapter
> 
> please leave comments & thoughts! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update! 
> 
> i've finally (somewhat) sorted out how i want the next couple chapters to be like and how the story is gonna go so updates should be more frequent (I MAKE NO PROMISES THO)
> 
> i am moving to a foreign country for work in less than 2 weeks so that will definitely effect when I update (especially on account of idk how long itll take to get internet set up in my new apartment) 
> 
> also i didnt proof read so let me know if there are any huge errors

      The week went by slowly and painfully. Kuroo had to stop himself from groaning every other minute just because time wouldn’t go any faster. After his little talk with Bokuto, it seemed that everyone dropped the subject of Kuroo mysteriously being out late at night for a couple days and moved on. Kuroo’s glad he agreed to meet with Kenma just one time a week because oh buddy, just from staying out later than usual a couple times and his friends were already suspicious and on his ass. He couldn’t imagine how nosey and pestering they’d be if he went to meet Kenma everyday. 

 

Kuroo had just finished up his time at the rehabilitation center and was making his way over to the private beach. Hopefully Kenma remembered that they planned to meet. For all he knew, Kenma could've just said to meet in a week but actually planned to never come back again. Which Kuroo kind of understood since it seemed that meeting humans was taboo for merpeople. But that didn’t stop Kuroo from getting a sinking feeling in his heart just at the thought of never being able to meet Kenma again. He’d probably never meet another merperson ever again, now that he thinks about it. 

 

When Kuroo got to the beach he couldn’t tell if Kenma was there, hiding in the water or something, or not. He decided to make himself comfy and laid a towel down that he brought in his backpack, along with some onigiri. He took one bite out of his salmon onigiri when he saw those familiar eyes pop up above the water. He immediately smiled and waved over at Kenma. He watched as Kenma made their way onto the beach and wiggled their way out of the water and next to Kuroo’s towel. Kuroo honestly thought the sight was so cute. The face they made when getting onto the beach was adorable, Kenma would stuck their tongue out in concentration and scrunch their nose up obviously not liking having to drag the dead weight that was their tail.

 

“Hey” Kuroo said, biting back a smile. 

 

“Hello” Kenma replied sheepishly. 

 

“Hows your week been?”

 

Kenma looked down at the sand, running their webbed hands through it before answering. “Good… my friend ended up finding out I’ve been sneaking away to meet humans.. Well  _ a  _ human.. You”

 

“Oh” Kuroo said in surprise. “Is that a bad thing?”

 

“If it was anyone other than my friend it would have been a bad thing” Kenma huffed, seeming somewhat annoyed. 

 

“Sorry?” Kuroo didn’t really know why he was saying sorry but he somehow felt he had to. 

 

“It’s fine, they’ve promised to stay quiet… and he even had some interest in meeting you himself”

 

Kuroo perked up at that. Getting to meet  _ two _ merpeople?! 

 

“I wouldn’t mind that!” Kuroo beamed, trying not to seem too excited. 

 

Kenma gave him a blank stare, Kuroo not being able to read his expression at all. It made him slightly nervous. 

 

“So how was your week?” Kenma asked, changing the subject. 

 

“Ugh boring and awful… I mean I love where I volunteer and I like tutoring kids but I don’t know… my friends started getting nosy and I didn’t wanna tell them about you ‘cause that seemed like a bad idea” Kuroo leaned back, letting his weight rest on the palm of his hands that sunk into the sand. He continued to rant endlessly to Kenma about his week, about the snot nose brat that called him last minute to get to their house for tutoring and proceeding to say shit like “I know already, I’m not dumb” and just over all being stuck up.  _ ‘If they already knew this shit why’d they call me?! Like what the fuck? At least I’m getting paid’  _

 

He told them about his heart to heart with Bokuto and how it made him feel. Kenma just patiently listened and nodded along, asking a few questions here and there when he didn’t fully understand the cultural context of things. After he finished his rant he looked at Kenma and realized he was basically out of breath with how much he had been talking. 

 

“Wow I’m sorry you asked me one simple question and I just… overloading the heck outta you, damn” Kuroo scratched the back of his neck as he laughed nervously. 

 

“No it’s okay… it was interesting. I liked hearing about your life.” Kenma gave him a small, barely there smile, and Kuroo felt his heart stop. 

 

_ No, I am not being enchanted by a mermaid, nope _

 

Kuroo blinked, realizing he was just kind of staring at Kenma and not saying anything. 

 

“O-oh, yeah? Maybe one day you can tell me more about your life. And I don’t just mean like the specifics of your people but just like.. I don’t know.. If you ever need someone to endlessly rant to like I just did?” Kuroo let out another nervous laugh. 

 

“Yeah… that’d be nice” Kuroo almost missed the words with how softly Kenma spoke 

 

It was quiet for while, Kuroo doesn’t really know how long. The two of them just sort of watched the ocean and how the colors of the sky reflected beautifully on its surface. Kuroo shifted his gaze towards Kenma and noticed the slight wonder in their eyes.

 

“I.. don’t really see the ocean from above often, but it’s very beautiful” 

 

“Yeah, especially at this time. Sunrise and sunset on the beach is just the best” 

 

Kenma hummed in response and continued to stare at the way light danced off the water's surface. 

 

“It’s getting late, I should go back” Kenma spoke up, suddenly moving to go back into the water. 

 

“Ah, okay… um so, do you wanna meet same time next week too?” Kuroo asked hopefully. 

 

“Of course” Kenma smiled right before fully submerging into the water. They stuck their hand above the water giving a last wave before diving deep. 

 

Kuroo stood and watched as they left, his hand raising to hold at his chest. 

 

“God, I think I’m gay for a mermaid”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> swim fun times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow another update so soon?? *gasps* this one is a tad longer than the last one 
> 
> i hope y'all enjoy!

    After about two more weeks of having regular meetings with Kenma, Kuroo started to feel as if casually hanging out with a merperson was becoming part of his weekly routine, and honestly he loved the sound of that. Yaku was still a bit cautious of this new routine of Kuroo staying out late for one night a week with no one knowing where he was going, but he let it be since he didn’t seem to be in any mortal danger. 

 

From the times they’ve met, Kuroo found out a good number of things about Kenma. He learned that Kenma wasn’t only just timid with him but everyone in their shoal, only really having one good friend, but they rather have it that way anyway. He learned that Kenma hated doing duties for the shoal and preferred going off on their own to gather random trinkets. Kenma told him how their search for new random treasures is basically how he got injured and ended up on this beach (which Kuroo interjected and scolded them to be more careful). He learned that the scales on their tail don’t regrow but are normally quiet durable. In return Kuroo shared more about himself, and he really had no problem with oversharing. Kenma would often let out small chuckles with how much Kuroo just ranted about random shit and people in his life, only interjecting to ask what certain things were, like a what “TV” and a “fridge” were. 

 

It was now about the 6th time that they were meeting and Kuroo was ready for a change. He wanted to go swimming with Kenma. He packed the suit he normally wore when surfing, knowing that it would keep him warmer in the water than his trunks would at this time of day. On his way to the beach Kuroo stopped off at a public restroom to change into his suit, not exactly wanting to change in front of Kenma on the private beach. After changing he headed out to the beach and Kenma was nowhere in sight, per usual. If they got to the beach before Kuroo they usually stayed below the water and lurked there.

 

Once he got there, Kuroo dropped his bag and sat crossed legged on the sand. After a couple seconds he saw Kenma poke their head out of the water and give him a weird look. 

 

“What’s with the weird outfit?” Kenma scrunched up their nose up, showing that they didn’t entirely like the new look. 

 

“Oh well, this is a type of thing humans wear when they wanna go swimming and I was thinking that maybe I could… go swimming with you?” Kuroo asked nervously. 

 

He was met with a few beats of silence before Kenma gave him a threatening look. The last time Kuroo saw this look was back when he first found Kenma. 

 

“And why do you want to do that?” Their voice had more venom in it than Kuroo was prepared for. 

 

“Um I-I just thought it’d be fun, ya know? Since we’re like friends now- Or at least I  _ think _ we’re friends. I consider you a friend! And we’re always on land when we meet which is probably like annoying for you and you don’t complain but I can tell your skin and stuff dries up a lot when we sit on the sand and… y-yeah” Kuroo could feel himself rambling and couldn’t bring himself to meet Kenmas golden eyes. 

 

Kuroo could see Kenma nod slowly out of the corner of his eyes and he sighed in relief. 

 

“Really, it’s okay?” He said, his tone getting more excited. 

 

“Sure… but don’t try anything” They warned.

 

“What could I possibly try? You can 100% outswim me and-” Kuroo stood and did a full body turn “does it look like I have any weird gadgets on me? Kenma I’d never try to hurt you”

 

This time Kenma averted their eyes from Kuroo’s and nodded sheepishly. 

 

A huge grin made it’s way to Kuroo’s face as he started to walk towards the water. The private beach was a lot different than the main beach. The sand didn’t taper off gradually into deeper waters, instead it tapered off slightly where Kuroo could walk up to his shins and then the sea floor dropped dramatically. If Kuroo was here alone, well he wouldn’t be doing this at all because it lowkey scared him a bit to feel the sand below his feet one second and then with just one more step be dangling in open water. 

 

As he made his way into the water, he noticed that Kenma would back up a bit. Once entirely in he looked over at Kenma and smiled, they gave him a small smile in return. Kuroo had goggles resting around his neck so he moved to pull them up on his head and over his eyes when he heard a fit of giggles. He looked over at Kenma, goggles now in place, and gave them a questioning look. 

 

“What?”

 

“You look ridiculous” They said in between giggles. 

 

“Well I can’t just open my eyes underwater and see! The saltwater would fuck my eyes up and it’d hurt like a bitch” Kuroo tried to sound annoyed and offended but honestly Kenma was just too cute and he couldn’t help the grin that made it’s way to his face. 

 

“Whatever, you still look stupid” Kenma said before disappearing under the water. 

 

Kuroo rolled his eyes and dived under. Since it was around sunset it was harder to see underwater, it appeared more like a vast darkness. He saw some shimmering and realized it was Kenma. He watched as the they drew closer and swam around Kuroo as he stayed suspended in the water. He was mesmerized by the way they moved in the water, only being reminded that he had to breath when he felt his chest start to tighten painfully. 

 

Kuroo made his way back up, taking in deep breathes of air once his head breached the surface. He felt something grab at his feet and he let out a strangled scream. After realizing that the hands touching at his legs weren’t pulling him down he relaxed and mentally kicked himself for thinking that Kenma would drag him into the depths of the ocean to kill him. Hey, it was a real, rational fear. If someone told Kuroo that they didn’t immediately think of imminent death when something grabbed their feet in the ocean he 100% wouldn’t trust that person. 

 

After a few more seconds of the awkward leg groping, Kenma finally resurfaced. 

 

“At least take me on a date first before feeling me up” Kuroo said with a smirk. 

 

Kenma’s face immediately turned red.

 

“I-I… I was just curious. S-sorry I should have asked.” Kenma mumbled. 

 

“It’s fine. You scared the fuck out of me though so a warning  _ would  _ have been nice”

 

Kenma just nodded and continued to look at Kuroo, a faint blush still on their cheeks.

 

“Is it tiring? Having to keep yourself steady in the water. I saw how your legs were working…”

 

“Oh, yeah it’s kind of tiring. It gets really tiring after a while but I’m okay right now. Plus I can just float on my back if I get too tired”

 

“Oh you can float?” Kenma said, cocking a brow.

 

“Yes I can and I’m gonna try and not be offended at the fact that you thought I couldn’t” Kuroo huffed. 

 

Kenma let out a soft laugh before diving back into the water. Kuroo smiled and took one last breath before following them down. 

 

\---

 

They continued to swim around for a while, Kuroo engaging them in a splash fight (which he lost, but honestly using your tail to make huge splashes?! That’s totally cheating), but as it got darker out they made their way back to the beach. 

 

Kuroo made his way back up onto the sand, taking his goggles off and shoving them somewhere in his bag as he fished his towel out. He wrapped the towel snuggly around himself as he stood on the beach looking down at where Kenma was in the water. 

 

“See you next week?” 

 

“Um” Kenma spoke up hesitantly, “would it be alright if my friend joined me?”

 

“This the friend you were telling me about before?”

 

Kenma nodded. 

 

“Of course! I’d love to meet ‘em” Kuroo beamed, his smile seemingly putting Kenma at ease. 

 

“Alright, see you next week” Kenma smiled before disappearing into the sea. 

 

Kuroo stayed on the beach, watching the water in silence for a few moments longer before grabbing his things and heading home. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata meets Kuroo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW sorry for the real late update life has been a mesS 
> 
> anyway please enjoy this shit chapter that I threw together and didnt proof read oops

Swimming back to the shoal Kenma tried not to think about how they just felt Kuroo’s legs up. Usually Kenma was more cautious about touching with everyone, but it was so weird seeing the way his legs moved in the water that they just had to touch them. They felt firm and strong and, well, very different from a tail. 

 

Kenma sighed deeply, trying not to think about Kuroo’s legs and more about how to deal with Hinata. He was going to be ecstatic to find out Kuroo wants to meet him but that also meant that he’d be loud and the last thing Kenma wants is for them to draw attention to themselves and be asked prying questions. Kenma’s parents were well aware of their hobby to scavenge and venture out of the shoal, so their disappearances haven’t warranted any suspicion and they weren’t going to let Hinata blow this for them.  

 

With the shoal coming into view, Kenma turned, making their way to the hideout. It was something that was starting to become routine for Kenma to meet Hinata there when they returned from seeing Kuroo. For safety reasons and to quell some of Hinata’s worry. 

 

When Kenma got to the hideout, Hinata was already there and swimming in tight hurried circles. 

 

“Uh…” Kenma spoke up, notifying Hinata that they were there. 

 

“Kenma! You’re late!!” Hinata practically screeched. 

 

“Sorry, got a bit carried away…” They mumbled. 

 

“Carried away? With what?” Hinata questioned before a moment of realization hit. He then moved his eyebrows seductively and made his voice an octave lower “Oh~ with… Kuroo”

 

“Please stop that and yes with Kuroo and no not like that…. How do humans reproductive parts even work?” Kenma’s face twisted as if they ate something really gross and sour. 

 

Hinata let out a loud laugh, causing Kenma to jump from the sound. 

 

“Not so loud” Kenma grimaced. 

 

“Sorry” Hinata giggled. 

 

“Anyway” Kenma sighed, “you’ll be happy to know that Kuroo wants to meet you…”

 

Hinata’s eyes lit up and he audibly gasped. 

 

“Please don’t yell” Kenma warned. 

 

“R-right, no yelling, I’m not yelling” Hinata squeaked. 

 

Kenma let out a soft laugh as they watched Hinata try and contain his excitement.

 

“Alright, so next week?” Kenma smirked, raising one eyebrow questionably. 

 

“Next week!”

 

***

 

“I know we said next week but it’s already next week! And I’m not ready! What if he hates me and tries to eat me! Oh gosh Kenma, we’re gonna die and it’s all my fault-” 

 

Kenma watched silently as Hinata flipped out in the hideout. He was swimming around, fiddling with trinkets, stopping every now and then to nervously pat his tail, pulling at his hair, and then of course there was the non-stop rambling. A week had gone by like usual and it was time for Hinata to meet Kuroo and despite all his earlier excitement, he had become a ball of intense nervousness. 

 

“Look,” Kenma started “Kuroo’s not a bad guy. I don't think he'd eat you or want to eat you anyway”

 

“Are you saying I'm not tasty?” Hinata said as if he was fully offended. 

 

“...Why are you offended by that…” 

 

Instead of answering Hinata just continued to make disgruntled sounds and frantically run his fingers through his hair. 

 

“Whatever, let’s go” Kenma grabbed onto Hinata’s arm, pulling his hand out of his hair, and began to swim out of the hideout. 

 

“Wait you mean  _ go  _ go? Like it's happening. Right now. We're going.”

 

Kenma tried not to laugh at Hinata’s shocked face as they swam further and further from the shoal. 

 

“It's a bit far from us so you have some time to prepare yourself” A small smirk made its way onto Kenma’s face. 

 

For the duration of their swim from the shoal to the beach Hinata's was rambling none stop. Kenma should have known that Hinata “preparing himself” was essentially him just spewing nonsense (and almost vomiting a couple times) for the entire trip there. Kenma remained silent (with a few annoyed outbursts), letting Hinata get it all out before they actually got there. 

 

As they got closer to the beach and began to swim closer to the surface, Hinata grew quieter and quieter. Kenma could tell he was getting seriously nervous and started to feel a bit worried. They knew Kuroo wouldn't hate him or do anything bad, but if Hinata was truly uncomfortable they didn't want to force this on them. Before reaching the beach Kenma stopped, letting the two of them just float in the water. It remained quiet for a short while before Kenma spoke up. 

 

“Are you okay with this? With meeting Kuroo?” 

 

Hinata took a deep breath and looked at Kenma, “Y-yes” 

 

Kenma could see a determined glint in his eyes and gave him a small smile in return before nodding and swimming over to the beach. 

 

Before going onto the beach, Kenma poked their head out of the water and saw Kuroo sitting on the sand with his backpack next to him. Kuroo seemed to have noticed him since he started waving. Kenma ducked back under and nodded towards Hinata, signaling that they were going up. Hinata let out a nervous squeak but followed anyway. 

 

Kenma poked their head above the water once more, this time with Hinata following. As they swam closer Kenma could see how excited Kuroo was to meet Hinata; the grin on his face was huge. They watched as Kuroo stood up and walked towards the edge of the sand, wading his feet in the water a bit. 

 

“Hey! You must be Hinata!” Kuroo greeted, looking over at Hinata who was very obviously nervous. 

 

“Y-yes that is I” 

 

Kenma stifled a laugh at how awkward Hinata sounded and they heard a few chuckles leave Kuroo as well. 

 

“Hey, no need to be so nervous, I won’t bite” Kuroo winked at him, causing Hinata to let out a few strangled noises. 

 

Hinata sunk his head a bit into the water so that only his eyes were showing. He was currently glaring at Kenma and Kuroo, not liking being teased. 

 

Kuroo sat down, seeming to not mind getting his butt wet in the water. 

 

“So Hinata, are you the same age as Kenma?” He asked. 

 

Hinata moved the rest of his head out of the water so he could talk. “Kenma’s slightly older than me, but not by that much! We’ve been friends for like ever though! I mean practically everyone in the shoal knows each other” 

 

Kenma smiled to themselves as they watched Kuroo and Hinata continue to talk. Honestly, once Hinata got talking his nerves practically left him. Kenma was also grateful that Kuroo was just someone who was easy to talk to. Kenma shuddered slightly, not really understanding the warm feeling in their chest. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was unfamiliar. They decided to just ignore it and push the feeling down as they refocused on the conversation Kuroo and Hinata were having. 

 

“So Kageyama’s his name?” Kuroo asked with a smirk. 

 

“Yeah! He’s so mean and overprotective all the time he needs to learn how to relax and go on an adventure or something like this.” Hinata huffed. 

 

“Sounds like he might like you.” Kuroo continued to look at him with that shit eating grin. 

 

“Wha-who? Noooo nono no” Hinata shook his head with more force than necessary, some water splashing off it and hitting Kenma in the process. 

 

“Yeah he probably does like you” Kenma chimed in.

 

“Oooh if even your bestie is saying that, it’s probably true” Kuroo nodded in agreement. 

 

“Shut up!” Hinata was blushing furiously at this point and both Kenma and Kuroo laughed, not being able to hold it in. 

 

“Stop laughing! W-we’ll you know who Kenma likes?!” 

 

The laughter died down and Kuroo gave Hinata a curious look. 

 

“Oh? No, who?” 

 

“No one” Kenma spoke up, glare trained on Hinata and their tone warning. 

 

“...That’s believable” Kuroo shrugged with a soft laugh. 

 

They continued to chat for a long time, staying even after the sun had set. Kenma was more than pleased that Hinata and Kuroo got along and it just proved to Kenma more that maybe Kuroo was a human that they could trust. That maybe not all humans were like how they were in the stories. 

 

They didn’t stay too long after sunset, knowing it wouldn’t be entirely safe to make the trip back to the shoal in the dark. They said goodbye to Kuroo, Hinata promising to come back and see him again sometime. As they swam back to the shoal, Kenma gave Hinata a questioning look. 

 

“So.. what exactly were you gonna tell Kuroo about me supposedly liking someone?”

 

“Weeelll, I was gonna say that you like him” Hinata said sheepishly. 

 

“...And why would you say that?” Kenma asked, brows knitting together in confusion. 

 

“Well, don’t you?” Hinata asked back. 

 

Kenma scoffed and they swam in silence for a few seconds. 

 

“No, I don’t… and that wouldn’t even work, he’s a human after all.” 

 

“I know, but-”

 

“Just drop it, Hinata” Kenma started to pick up speed, wanting to get home already and away from this conversation. 

 

“Ok…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! the past couple months have been a lot! I moved to Japan and started work here so I've been getting used to work and all that and even tho im p used to it now i'm exhausted every day so it's been hard to find motivation to write. 
> 
> hope this chapter turned out ok cuz my brain is dead like 90% of the time now lol
> 
> please leave thoughts & comments <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I've updated again!  
> Didn't do a great job proof reading so please let me know if there are any huge errors!
> 
> Also posting this from my iPad so let me know if there are any weird formatting issues.

     After Kenma took Hinata to go and meet Kuroo, Kenmas been thinking more and more about what Hinata brought up about them liking Kuroo. Kenma knew they felt something for Kuroo but they didn’t want to think about it. It was too complicated. And as the week went by there was a slight shift in the water as the full moon drew closer. Everyone in the shoal was preparing for the full moon, people were busying themselves with making their homes comfortable and festive. Despite how everyone decorated the shoal as if some big festival was happening, on the actual night of the full moon not many big festivities actually happened. Because of the effect the moon had on their bodies, most merfolk were dazed and lazy. Some snuck away to comfy corners of the shoal with their partners, or stayed inside relishing in the blissful feeling the moon gave them. Kenma just believed that the reason they got the shoal all decorated was mainly for the aesthetic of it. It did make the nights were there was a full moon more pleasant though, Kenma thought.

 

As the week went by, the effects of the moon grew heavier. Kenma almost forgot that they planned to meet Kuroo on the night before the full moon. They almost thought of not coming, the moon making them feel too lazy to make the journey out and back. But they knew Kuroo would most likely worry if they didn't show, and there wasn't exactly anyway for them to contact him or send him a message. Kenma’s parents would probably be worried on their disappearance so close to the full moon, but they could come up with some excuse about being with Hinata in the hideout or something. Kenma often spent most of the full moons in their hideout, fiddling with all the trinkets they've collected over the years.

 

Kenma let Hinata know their plans for meeting Kuroo. Hinata protested but Kenma was set on seeing Kuroo, they didn't exactly know why, but they just were. When the day finally came around, Hinata saw them off, panicking and making sure Kenma would be alright. Kenma always swam out to see Kuroo while the sun was still up and usually came back right after sunset. The moons effects were strongest at night, so they didn't worry too much and reassured Hinata about a million times before waving goodbye.

 

The journey to the private beach felt longer than usual, but Kenma just blamed that on the full moon being tomorrow. When they finally made it they could see Kuroo sitting on the small beach, idly running his hands through the sand.

 

Kenma swam up, popping their head up when they got right in front of the beach. Kuroo let out a shrill scream causing Kenma to scowl.

 

“You scared the shit out of me! Don't pop your head out of the water so suddenly!” He said after calming down.

Kenma just grumbled in response and shimmied their upper body onto the sand, leaving their tail in the water. They were feeling way too lethargic to hoist their entire body up onto the beach.

 

“...You okay?” Kuroo asked.

 

They'd been sitting in silence and Kenma hadn't even noticed.

 

“Mm yeah… The full moons tomorrow so I’m kinda just.. yeah” Kenma mumbled.

 

“Have I ever told you how great you are at explaining things?” Kuroo said sarcastically.

 

Kenma just narrowed their eyes at him, causing him to laugh.

 

“Sorry... but what does the full moon exactly do? Make you lazy?”

 

“Something like that.. It's a bit hard to explain, but yeah it makes us lethargic and dazed… and weirdly.. cuddly? I'm not sure since I'm not one to cuddle but I'm not as adverse to touching when it’s a full moon”

 

“So it’s kinda like a drug, huh?” Kuroo chuckled.

 

“Sure, whatever that is” Kenma shrugged.  


Kuroo let out a soft laugh and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Kenma closed their eyes, listening to the soft lap of the waves against the rocks and the shifting of the sand as Kuroo played with it.

 

“Um…” Kenma spoke up after a while, breaking the silence. “Would you… like to see what we’re like during the full moon? Obviously not all of us.. but just.. me?”

 

When Kenma opened their eyes they saw Kuroos shocked expression.

 

“I-is that really okay? I'd love to! I can bring my suit and everything and join you in the water, if that’s okay? But, really, you're sure? I-”

 

“Kuroo, you're rambling”

 

“Right, sorry”

 

Kenma sighed. “Yeah i-it’s fine… I don't know why but, i trust you”

 

Kenma looked over at Kuroo and immediately regretted it. He had a hand over his mouth and honestly looked like he was about to cry.

 

“Stop making that face” Kenma grimaced.

 

“Kenma you softy you cant just say that and expect me to not get emotional. Look how far are friendship has come, I'm truly touched.” Kuroo dramatically wiped a tear from his eye.

 

“W-whatever”

 

“But really, you're okay with meeting tomorrow? You'll be fine making your way out here?” Kuroo’s tone was more serious this time, and despite the soft smile on his face he was obviously concerned.

 

“I’ll be fine”

  
***

  
On their way back from seeing Kuroo, Kenma mentally hit themselves about 500 times.

 

_“Why did I suggest that?! What is wrong with me?! He doesn't have to understand what it’s like for us on the full moon, let alone see me during one! Why do I feel the need to see him tomorrow!? What is wrong with me?!”_

 

Kenma tried not to tug at their hair as thoughts raced through their mind. They chalked it up to the moon effecting their mind and judgement, but no matter what, they couldn't erase this strong feeling that they had to be with Kuroo tomorrow night.

 

Kenma was set on just ignoring it, despite the uneasiness it gave them. When they met up with Hinata after they got back and they hesitantly explained to him what they were going to do tomorrow night, feeling safer knowing that at least someone would know where they were going to be tomorrow. Hinata was obviously against it, but didn't do much to persuade Kenma to stay in the shoal.

 

So it was settled. Tomorrow they were going to see Kuroo.

 

***

  
Kenma headed out as the sun began to set. Kenma swam hurriedly, not liking the feeling of being under the moons influence and out in the open ocean. By. the time they got to the beach, the sun had already dipped behind the horizon, leaving the surroundings to be shrouded in darkness. Even through the darkness, Kenma could see Kuroos figure sitting on the beach.

 

Kenma swam closer to the surface, the top of their head and their eyes coming up above the water. Kuroo hadn’t noticed them yet and for some reason that amused them. Kuroo was in that weird suit that humans apparently have to wear when they're in the water. Kenma must have made some sort of sound, seeing as Kuroo was now looking in their direction.

 

“Kenma is that you? Humans don't have good night vision FYI, so I can’t tell… you better not scare me again”

 

Kenma let out a giggle and slowly swam closer to the beach.

 

“Yeah it’s me, sorry. Wasn't trying to scare you”

 

“Sure, sure” Kuroo chuckled.

 

Kenma watched as he made his way into the water. Kuroo waded in the water for a bit, not getting in entirely.

 

Instead of speaking, Kenma let out a chirping noise to ask what was wrong.

 

“Whoa, did you just make that sound? What the heckie that was so cute…” Kuroo’s previous expression was now replaced with a huge grin.

 

“Shuddup.. it’s just-”

 

“The moon?”

 

“Yeah”

 

Kuroo then went the rest of the way into the water and swam up next to Kenma.

 

“Even with this thick-ass suit on, the water is still a bit chilly” Kuroo grimaced.

 

Instead of speaking, Kenma made another sound, causing Kuroo to chuckle.

 

“You kind of sound like a cat when they make those little ‘merrup’ sounds”

 

“...A what?” Kenma cocked their brow.

 

“A cat. Like.. cute little furry four-legged creature with pointy ears.”

 

Kenma gave Kuroo a blank stare before shrugging and continuing to swim out a bit further from the shore. Because of the high tide, waves were harshly lapping against the rocks and Kenma didn't want to be near that.

 

They swam in comfortable silence until Kuroo stopped. Kenma swam circles around him as he treaded water, his head following Kenma as they swam.

 

“Wait hold still” Kuroo spoke up.

 

Kenma stopped in front of him and tilted their head in confusion.

 

“Whoa… uh is that normal?”

 

“Is… what normal?” Kenma asked.

 

“You’re glowing… like your eyes and some of your scales” Kuroo looked completely awestruck.

 

Kenma shifted in the water, feeling a bit awkward under his gaze. “Um… yeah I guess it is. Kind of forgot that happened since I’m used to it”

 

“You’re beautiful” Kuroo said almost too quietly, but Kenma still managed to pick it up.

 

Kenma didn’t know what to say. They weren't used to being complimented and this was making them feel way more flustered than they wanted to be right now. Their chest felt warm and for some reason they wanted Kuroo to repeat those words over and over again.

 

Before Kenma could respond, a bright light shone on the two of them, followed by unfamiliar voices. Kenma looked at Kuroo in the confusion and all they saw was panic on his face. Kenma swiveled around and saw a boat not too far from them, and their blood ran cold. Kenma felt paralyzed. They could feel their heart racing in their chest but their body wouldn’t move as they wanted it too. They could hear Kuroo yelling something but couldn’t make out the words.

 

The boat was drawing closer and Kenma felt completely trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaa i totally planned to update more frequently but didn't! Sorry! It's been a snowy hell here and so so cold, so whenever i get home from work i have zero energy and just kind of wrap up in blankets lol so please excuse my laziness with updates 
> 
> Umm i hope this update isn't as shit as i think it is and I hope you all enjoy it! I feel I've gotten worse at writing and articulating what I want to say so besides my laziness I've been less confident in posting anything on here 
> 
> Please leave thoughts & comments <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy late new year! WOW i really meant to update sooner but the start of the new year was very hectic for me and i was struggling and having to fight off many panic attacks it was a lot
> 
> Ive still been having some consistent minor health issues which has really caused me to not be motivated in doing a lot of things bUT i was able to crank this chapter out
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is alll over the place and just really bad

     Everything was going great. Kuroo was feeling over-emotional (and hoping that none of that showed on his face) and so happy that Kenma was opening up to him. The way they glowed in the water, how the moon made their movements so slow, graceful, and mesmerizing. Kenma looked truly stunning and if Kuroo wasn’t so caught up in all this he would have realized how far out they were swimming, he would have suggested to swim back just a little bit, but he didn’t.

 

There were boats off in the distance that neither of them noticed until one of them drew close enough. With a spotlight from the boat shining on them, Kuroo could see Kenma completely freeze. He felt his own heartbeat picking up pace and knew they had to get out of their, fast.

 

“Kenma!” Kuroo shouted, trying to get them to refocus.

 

“C’mon, Kenma, we gotta go” He shook their shoulders and Kenma broke their gaze at the boat and finally turned to look at Kuroo.

 

“The fuck is that?” Kuroo heard someone yell from the boat.

 

Without wasting any time Kuroo began pulling on Kenma’s arm, trying to get them to swim. Kenma seemed to pick up on what Kuroo was trying to do and held onto Kuroo as they swam the both of them back to the tiny beach. They were lucky that the boats weren’t trying to follow them for now, but whoever was on the first boat was definitely calling in some other late fishing boats to investigate the area.

 

When they got back to the private beach there was obvious panic all over Kenma’s face.

 

“How am I gonna get home.. I can’t deal with all of that i-i just I’m” Kenma’s breathing was getting faster and Kuroo placed a hand on their shoulder.

 

“It’s okay, just breathe…. we’ll think of something…” Kuroo looked out at the water and could see multiple fishing boats out with lights focused on the water. A few of them were drawing closer to their area and he knew they didn’t have much time to hide here.

 

Kuroo looked at his backpack on the sand and then over at Kenma as he thought for a moment.

 

“I… can take you to my place” He mumbled, saying it more to himself than to Kenma.

 

“...Is it safe?” Kenma spoke up.

 

“I.. it’s the safest option my panicked mind can think of right now” Kuroo admitted.

 

“...Okay… I trust you” Kenma said it so quietly that Kuroo thought he heard wrong.

 

He looked at them for a minute before nodding and grabbing his backpack from the beach.

 

“Okay, swim around the side and meet me on the main beach, no one should be there this late.”

 

Kenma nodded and popped back under the water. Kuroo made his way around the rocky ledge separating the two beaches as quickly as he could. Kenma was still glowing from the moon so Kuroo could still see where they were in the water. Once on the main beach, Kuroo set down his backpack and pulled a big towel and one of his hoodies out of it. He gestured for Kenma to come up onto the beach and they complied. He pulls the hoodie over Kenma, them giving him a confused look all the while.

 

“Just go along with it okay, if anyone sees us I don’t want them questioning why I’m carrying some glowing fish dude”

 

“So you just want them to question why you’re carrying a half clothed fished dude?” Kenma quirked an eyebrow and gave Kuroo a look™️.

 

“That’s what the towel is for!” Kuroo whisper-yelled. “This is no time for sass.”

 

Kuroo hurriedly wrapped the towel around Kenma’s tail, making sure it was completely covered. Once they were all wrapped up, Kuroo put his backpack back on and took a deep breath before picking Kenma up bridal style.

 

Kenma made a small yelp as they were hoisted up, throwing their arms around Kuroo’s neck.

 

“Oh my god you are so heavy, I don’t know how I’m gonna carry you all the way back Jesus.” Kuroo heaved.

 

“You know my tail isn’t really made for being out of water”

 

“What did I say about the sass?”

 

“Just sayin” Kenma mumbled, burying their face in the crook of Kuroo’s neck.

 

_Don’t think about how they’re literally snuggling into the crook of your neck, Kuroo, don’t think about it!_ Kuroo let out a small frustrated groan as he started to walk towards the sidewalk. He was also trying not to think about how physically taxing it was to carry Kenma while walking on sand.

 

Luckily there was no one out by the beach during this hour, allowing Kuroo to take his time, ‘cause he honestly needed it. The normally 10 minute walk to the apartment ended up taking 20, Kuroo having to take some breathers while carrying Kenma.

 

Once back to the apartment, Kuroo was beyond relieved that Yaku wasn’t home. He really did not know how he would explain himself. He brought Kenma into the bathroom and placed them in the bathtub. He unwrapped the towel and took off the hoodie before filling the bath with water.

 

“Sorry it’s so cramped” Kuroo chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“Mmm it’s fine…” Kenma closed their eyes, leaning back so that the water would run down their torso as it filled the tub. “The warm water feels nice…”

 

“Good” Kuroo smiled. They stayed in a comfortable silence, the sound of the running water filling the room.

 

“I’ll try and take you back tomorrow night” Kuroo said softly.

 

“Thank you”

 

Once the bath was filled, Kuroo shut off the water. He told Kenma that his bedroom was one room over and that he was going to go get ready for bed. Kenma seemed to turn into mush in the warm bath water and didn’t even bother giving coherent replies. They just nodded, making some chirping sounds, and sunk lower into the bath.

 

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Kuroo realized he couldn’t exactly take a shower to get all the salt water off of him since Kenma was in the tub. He grimaced before just shrugging and accepting his fate of having to be gross and just sleep as is.

 

He wished Kenma goodnight, getting some chirp in response, before flipping the lights off and leaving the bathroom.

 

***

 

Kuroo usually never sleeps with his door open, but with Yaku coming home at who knows what hour in the morning, Kuroo wanted to be sure that he could hear him when he got home so he could stall him from going into the bathroom as much as he could. Seeing as the apartment only had one bathroom, he couldn’t stall forever, but it would be better to prepare Yaku for the inevitable instead of him just finding Kenma on his own.

 

At promptly 8AM (which is too early for Kuroo), Kuroo could hear someone coming in through the front door. He groggily got up, not bothering to fix his hair, and stumbled out of his room to see who it was. Kuroo’s hair was messier than usual since he didn’t get to shower last night. He probably smelled horrible and he felt equally as disgusting from not washing the sea water off of his body.

 

Kuroo rubbed his eyes and could see Yaku toeing off his shoes in the entrance way.

 

“You’re up early-“ Yaku started and then immediately stopped upon seeing (and smelling) Kuroo.

 

“You look like shit”

 

“I know” Kuroo grumbled.

 

“You _smell_ like shit”

 

“I know!” Kuroo groaned and then made his way over to the kitchen, Yaku following.

 

“You wanna explain? Usually when you’re a mess you wouldn’t be awake this early” Yaku raised an eyebrow and dropped his bag by the couch.

 

“I just wanted to greet my lovely friend and roommate whomstve i love so much” Kuroo had his back towards Yaku and was trying to focus his sleep riddled head on fixing up some coffee.

 

It was quiet for a moment before Yaku burst out laughing.

 

“You cannot be serious, what the fuck is up with you, oh my god” Yaku said between fits of laughter.

 

Kuroo turned to face Yaku and gave him a pointed look. “Do you doubt my love and commitment?”

 

“Yes, I do” Yaku replied with an equally pointed look, his laughter dying down to subtle giggles. “Also, you should probably shower and clean up, I can take care of coffee, unless you don’t mind me showering first-“

 

“NO!” Kuroo practically screamed.

 

“Um…” Yaku backed up slightly giving him a questioning look.

 

“I mean uh.. yeah I’ll shower first, sorry” Kuroo dropped what he was doing and made his way over to the bathroom. It took his mind a little extra effort to catch up with the fact that Kenma was in their bathtub and that the sole purpose of being up this early was to keep Yaku from going in there.

 

When Kuroo entered the bathroom, Kenma greeted him with a nervous smile.

 

“You.. could probably hear us right?” Kuroo asked.

 

“Yeah…” Kenma said quietly.

 

“Sorry, that’s my roommate, I should have given you at least some warning about him eventually showing up” Kuroo scratched at the back of his neck nervously.

 

Kenma sat quietly for a bit, Kuroo not being able to read their expression. He left it be for now and went over to the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth. He could tell Kenma was watching him, he could feel their eyes on him with every move he made.

 

When he finished washing up, Kenma stayed quiet, but he could tell they probably had some questions.

 

Before either of them could speak up, Yaku knocked on the bathroom door.

 

“Um are you gonna shower?” Yaku’s voice came from the other side of the door.

 

“Uh um y.. yes?” Kuroo replied.

 

“What kind of reply is that? Are you an idiot?” Yaku’s tone became more annoyed.

 

Kenma giggled at that, their hands flying up to their mouth to try and stifle it.

 

“Did… I just hear someone else’s voice in there?” Yaku asked after a beat of silence.

 

“UM NO” Kuroo replied louder than necessary.

 

“Kuroo remember when I said you’re a bad liar?” Kuroo could hear the smugness in Yaku’s voice.

 

“SHUTUP” Kuroo was low key trying very hard to think of a way to get out of this situation, but his brain really could not work that fast in the morning.

 

“Kuroo, I think it’s a bit too late to cover this up now…” Kenma spoke hesitantly.

 

“Akaashi was right, you so are seeing someone right now! Is this them? Bokuto owes us like 20 bucks”

 

Kuroo groaned and tried to think of a way to explain this to Yaku.

 

“Kuroo… it’s okay” Kenma said.

 

Kuroo could tell they weren’t completely okay with this, but there was something in their eyes that told him that they trusted him. Kuroo gives him a look that says “are you sure?” And Kenma nods in response. Kuroo lets out a sigh as he walks over to the bathroom door and opens it.

 

“What, why are you opening the door?! Don’t really wanna see you or your date naked” Yaku has his eyes shut, just in case Kuroo really did decide to just walk out of the bathroom with his dick out.

 

“Yaku shut up I’m still wearing clothes... just open your eyes.” Kuroo huffs.

 

Yaku opens his eyes and he immediately looks at the large tail fin that’s currently sticking out of their bathtub. His eyes trail up to the human upper half and he locks eyes with Kenma.

 

Yaku’s eyes go wide, his mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish.

 

“Uh so… this is Kenma” Kuroo speaks up, mainly just to break the uncomfortable silence.

 

Kenma gives Yaku a small, shy wave in return.

 

“That’s… they’re… real” Yaku says dumbly.

 

“Uh yep” Kuroo replies awkwardly.

 

“I… I don’t even know how much money I owe you for this.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a literal mess and i am sorry
> 
> honestly this fic is becoming a mess bUT WHATEVER

           After watching Yaku get over the initial shock of seeing Kenma, his gaze was soon directed towards Kuroo. He didn’t seem mad, but he didn’t seem all that pleased either. 

 

“You” Yaku said with an unreadable tone. 

 

“Y-yes” Kuroo replied hesitantly. 

 

“...We need to talk.” 

 

Yaku’s tone was unreadable and that worried Kuroo to no extent. He watched as Yaku looked between him and Kenma and waited for anyone to say anything. 

 

“Sorry Kenma, I’m going to have to steal him away for a bit” Yaku smiles, which seems to put Kenma at some ease and they nodd in response. 

 

Kuroo follows Yaku out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. They walk back out into the kitchen, Yaku pouring out two cups of coffee. 

 

“So… is this what you’ve been up to on your late night outs?” Yaku asks, his tone still unreadable. 

 

Kuroo quietly nods as he sips some of his coffee. 

 

“And… you brought them here because?”

 

After fumbling with his words a bit, Kuroo told Yaku everything that happened from last night as well as how he planned to try and get Kenma back to the ocean tonight. 

 

Yaku nods his head in understanding as he listens before letting out a deep sigh. 

 

“We… should keep this a secret” Yaku finally says after a moment of silence.

 

“Well no shit” Kuroo says, letting out sigh of relief. He knows Yaku is a good person, but that didn’t stop him from thinking that Yaku would want to take Kenma to the research facility or report this to someone or something, so hearing him say that he also wanted to keep this a secret took a whole lot of weight off of Kuroo’s shoulders. 

 

“And I mean secret secret” Yaku narrowed his eyes at him, “Bokuto is a loud person so him not finding out about this would be preferable.”

 

“Right… got it… but also I think we’re gonna have to go to his and Akaashi’s place to shower for now since we can’t really use ours…”

 

“True… we can just tell them our showers fucked up right now.” Yaku crossed his arms, thinking for a bit. “But I’ll be the one to tell them since you’re shit at lying.”

 

“Fair”

 

The two of them told Kenma were they were headed before they left, not wanting to leave them out of the loop. Neither of them bothered to text Akaashi or Bokuto to check if they were home, they just assumed one of them would be. The couple lived only two doors down, which Kuroo was thankful for since it meant he didn’t really have to venture outside looking and smelling like the hot mess that he is right now. 

 

With their toiletries and towels in tow, they made the “long” trek to Bokuto and Akaashi’s apartment, Yaku knocking rather loudly on the front door. Luckily Akaashi was home (and awake). 

 

“What brings you two over so early?” Akaashi says, letting the two of them into the apartment. 

 

“Our shower is kinda fucked up right now, so we were wondering if we could use yours.” Yaku says nonchalantly. 

 

“Of course, is everything okay?” Akaashi eyes the two of them. 

 

Yaku begins nudging Kuroo towards the bathroom, as if he could sense that the taller man was about to open his mouth and say something stupid. “Yep! And as you can tell, Kuroo looks and smells awful so he really needs to go wash himself right now.”

 

After practically being shoved into the bathroom by Yaku, Kuroo couldn’t really hear what him and Akaashi were talking about. He decides that Yaku would just handle any questions Akaashi had (if he had any) and got into the shower. 

 

Once out of the shower and in fresh clothes, Kuroo made his way out into the living area. Yaku took that as his signal to go wash up and left the two of them. Akaashi offered Kuroo some food, which he gladly accepted. They chilled in the kitchen, Kuroo sitting at a stool by the counter and Akaashi choosing to stand and lean against it. They stayed in a comfortable silence until the front door swung open. Bokuto made his way into the apartment, his surfing equipment in tow. 

 

“Kuroo! What’re you doing here?” Bokuto put his stuff down and makes his way into the kitchen. 

 

“Our shower’s kinda broke right now so me and Yaku are using yours.” 

 

“Oh, want me to fix it?” Bokuto offers. 

 

“...You can fix showers?” Kuroo replies, sounding like he 100% does not believe him. 

 

“Surprisingly yes,” Akaashi chimes in, “we had a problem with our shower and he just went in there and fixed it… I was scared he was going to make it worse but everything turned out fine.”

 

“Yep! And I was even kinda drunk when I did it!” Bokuto puffs out his chest. 

 

“You were _ what _ ?” Akaashi gives Bokuto a stern but questioning look. 

 

“Anyway, so why don’t I fix your shower? That way you don’t have to pay to get it done!”

 

“Uhh” Kuroo thinks for a second and realizes that turning down this opportunity would be stupid and also seem kinda weird. Who wouldn’t turn down free repairs? However, their shower wasn’t  _ really  _ broken and it didn’t need fixing to begin with. 

 

“Nah we good…” Kuroo says, trying to sound calm and not suspicious.

 

“You’re… good… you’re fine with a broken shower… and not getting it fixed for free?” Akaashi gives Kuroo an incredulous look. 

 

“Uh, yep” Kuroo says, popping the ‘p’. 

 

“You’re shower isn’t really broken, is it?” Akaashi says, cocking an eyebrow. 

 

“Wh- of course it is! Why else would we be over here, using your shower?” Kuroo really hopes he sounds convincing. 

 

Bokuto and Akaashi look at each other for a second before returning their gaze to Kuroo. “You’re totally lying” They both say in unison. 

 

“Oh my god!” Kuroo groans, “I’m not!”

 

“Then why not let Bokuto at least take a look at your shower?” Akaashi suggests. 

 

“No!” Kuroo clears his throat, realizing he probably said that way too loud. “I mean.. Uh.. nah… it’s fine”

 

“Bro, I love you, but you really need to work on your lying skills.” Bokuto pats Kuroo on the back softly. 

 

“What’s this about Kuroo and lying?” Yaku enters the kitchen area, practically staring daggers at Kuroo. 

 

“Just that he sucks at it and we know your shower isn’t really broken now” Akaashi states.

 

Yaku gives Kuroo a silent look and lets out a sigh. 

 

“Wait, then if your shower isn’t broken, why do you have to use ours?” Bokuto asks, giving them a quizzical look. 

 

“Someone’s just taking a really really long bath so we-” Kuroo starts but is immediatly cut off by Bokuto.

“WHOA wait someone is in your bath, that isn’t either of you?! What?” Bokuto practically yells. 

 

Yaku rubs a hand over his face and groans. “Kuroo why are you like this...”

 

“Wait does this mean you’re seeing someone bro?”

 

“That also means that you owe me and Yaku 20 bucks, Bokuto” Akaashi smiles slightly as he looks over at Bokuto. 

 

“Can we meet them!” Bokuto exclaims, ignoring what Akaashi had just said. 

 

“Uuuuhhh, not… now?” Kuroo nervously scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with basically everyone in the room. 

 

“Kuroo what did I say about ending your sentences like they’re questions…” Yaku mutters. 

 

“Somehow I feel like you’re still hiding something…” Akaashi narrows his eyes and looks between Yaku and Kuroo. 

 

“GUESS WE WON’T KNOW UNLESS WE GO CHECK IT OUT!” Bokuto yells before running out the front door. 

 

“We locked the door right?” Yaku says, looking over at Kuroo.

 

“We have the spare key to your place, remember?” Akaashi says before Kuroo can answer, and starts making his way out the front door too.

 

“FUCK” Kuroo yells, darting out the front door. 

 

He sees Bokuto right as he gets their front door open and practically tackles him into the apartment. 

 

“Bo, what is wrong with you!” Kuroo yells from on top of Bokuto.

 

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH  _ YOU _ , WHAT THE FUCK” Bokto exclaims, wriggling out from underneath him. 

 

“Kuroo?” 

 

Both Kuroo and Bokuto pause as they hear a voice call out from the bathroom. 

 

“You heard that right?” Bokuto whisper yells.

 

“Nope! Ha ha what are you talking about” Kuroo chuckles nervously. 

 

“Kuroo is that you?” Kenma calls out again. 

 

“Yes it is and I totally have everything under control!” He yells back. 

 

“Bruh what the fuck! Who is in there?” Bokuto tries to sound stern but it doesn’t work because of the huge grin on his face. 

 

“No one! Now I’d like to ask you to _ leave _ ” Kuroo hissed as he gets up off the floor. 

 

Akaashi and Yaku are standing right outside the door, Yaku with a hand over his face and Akaashi has his arms crossed. 

 

“Well if this really is just your date taking a really long bath, it’s not our place to intrude… right Bokuto?” Akaashi gives Bokuto, who’s still on the floor, a pointed look. 

 

“True, but isn’t this all a bit fishy? Like it’s just a date! Why tackle me to the floor for it, huh?!” Bokuto looks to Kuroo. 

 

“That… make sense. Well, Kuroo?” Akaashi shifts his gaze from Bokuto to Kuroo. 

 

“AGH I don’t know!?” Kuroo runs his hands through his hair, “I don’t want you just running into the bathroom and seeing them naked I guess? Can we just leave it at that? Can y’all leave now?”

 

“But I’m curious now” Bokuto pouts. 

 

“Yaku seems to know what’s going on but is being awfully quiet…” Akaashi side-eyes the shorter man. 

 

“There’s nothing I can do to save this situation so I’m just going to let it crash and burn.” Yaku walks into the apartment, kicking off his shoes and stepping over Bokuto. “I’m gonna go check on Kenma, Kuroo” Yaku waves them off and heads into the bathroom.

 

“Okay what the fuck” Bokuto and Akaashi say almost in unison. 

 

Kuroo walks over to the living room area and plops down on the couch, Akaashi and Bokuto following after him. The three of them sit quietly on the couch until Kuroo lets out an unnecessarily long sigh. 

 

“There’s a mermaid in our bathtub… their name is Kenma” Kuroo blurts out. 

 

“...excuse me?” Akaashi looks at Kuroo with his usual unreadable expression.

 

“WHAT?!” Bokuto yells before Kuroo can respond. 

 

“Please stop yelling Bokuto, think of the neighbors… and if what Kuroo says is true you’re probably scaring the fuck out of Kenma...” Akaashi rests a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder in an effort to get him to calm down. 

 

“Can we meet ‘em?” Bokuto asks, eyes sparkling.

 

“I.. maybe? I’ll ask them but… this is all probably very overwhelming to them” Kuroo sighs.  

 

“Kuroo… I hate to break this to you but… don’t you have work or something today?” Akaashi says. 

 

“AGH FUCK!”

 


	12. Chapter 12

              Kenma sat patiently in the tub as they heard whatever chaos was going on outside ensue. They tried calling out Kuroo’s name, only to have him yell back that “everything was under control”, which Kenma did not believe at all. Kenma spent most of the time listening and fiddling with their tail, anxiety building up the more they imagined what could be going on just beyond this room. The water was also beginning to feel stagnant and gross and Kenma wanted nothing more than to get themselves into some fresher water. 

 

After 5 minutes or so, the door to the bathroom starts to open. Kenma sucks in a breath, not exactly sure who’s coming in or what’s going on at all. Kenma sighs in relief to see Yaku enter the bathroom. They may not have known him for too long but just seeing a familiar face made Kenma relax a bit. 

 

“Sorry for all the noise, it’s probably scaring you, huh?” Yaku smiled warmly as he took a seat on top of the toilet. 

 

“...Just a bit” Kenma muttered in response. 

 

“That waters not looking too good either” Yaku chuckled. 

 

Kenma could tell he was still nervous to be around them, and that oddly made Kenma feel calmer. They remembered how they felt when they first met Kuroo, extremely nervous, afraid, and also just very very confused. Yaku was probably having similar feelings and Kenma didn’t really blame him for it. 

 

“Yeah… I feel gross” Kenma said, crinkling their nose. 

 

Yaku lets out a soft laugh before speaking, “Well, we can try changing the water.”

 

Kenma gave him a quizzical look, “How?”

 

“There’s a drain in the tub. We’ll let all the gross water out and then fill the tub with fresh water. You’ll need to get out of the tub for this though since we should probably scrub it down a bit…”

 

Kenma nodded their head as Yaku spoke, understanding most of what had to be done. They didn’t really like the idea of having to be out of the water and waiting for awhile while Yaku had to do… whatever he had to do to set the bath up again. 

 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by the door opening a bit. A second later, Kuroo’s head popped in and he looked rather panicked. 

 

“Uh, hey… so Kenma” Kuroo starts, “I totally forgot I have work and I gotta head out for a bit, but Yaku will totally take great care of you, he’s best mom”

 

“Stop calling me a mom” Yaku interrupted. 

 

“Also,” Kuroo starts again, completely ignoring Yaku, “our friends Bokuto and Akaashi are here and would like to meet you if that’s okay. Totally fine if it’s not, tell Yaku your decision when you make up your mind. K gotta go bye!”

 

And like that, Kuroo was gone and the door was closed again. Kenma didn’t even get to get a word in and just sat there very confused. ‘ _ Kuroo has work? So… I’m here alone… with humans I barely know...this is fine… I’m not gonna panic… I am calm and collected’ _

 

“Kenma?” Yaku’s voice snaps Kenma out of their thoughts. 

 

“Y-yeah?”

 

“Are you okay? You look a bit like a deer caught in headlights.”

 

“A what?” 

 

“Nevermind,” Yaku sighs and takes a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. “I know we haven’t had the time to build up trust, not like how you and Kuroo have, but you’re safe here. I want you to feel safe here, okay? All of us, we don’t mean any harm.”

 

Kenma was a bit shocked to say the least, not entirely prepared to hear something so earnest. They could tell by the look on Yaku’s face and the tone of his voice that he was being completely genuine. Kenma nodded before saying a quiet “okay” before Yaku started speaking again. 

 

“And our friends Bokuto and Akaashi are great… although I totally understand not wanting to meet Bokuto he’s so fucking loud”

 

“I’m assuming most of that noise was him then?” Kenma asks. 

 

“Yeah, him and Kuroo. Those two can be a nightmare when they’re together.” Yaku rolls his eyes, looking annoyed at just the thought of those two together. 

 

Kenma let out a soft laugh, causing Yaku to smile as well. 

 

“I… I think I’d like to meet them… Kuroo’s mentioned Bokuto to me before and, well, they’d be able to help you with changing the water or whatever” Kenma mumbles.

 

“Really? You don’t have to force yourself, I can ask them to leave if you want me to.” 

 

After seeing Yaku’s worried face, Kenma completely understood why Kuroo calls him a ‘mom’. 

 

“Y-yeah, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

 

Yaku gives them one last look before standing up and leaving the bathroom. Shortly after, the door opens again and who Kenma assumes to be Akaashi and Bokuto come into the bathroom. Yaku stays in the doorway, leaning against the frame. 

 

“WOW!” The man with the spiky hair, who Kenma assumed to be Bokuto, squawks. 

 

“Bokuto what did I say about yelling?” The shorter man with dark hair says, wincing at Bokuto’s loudness. 

 

Bokuto threw a hand over his mouth, letting out a small squeak. 

 

“Hello Kenma, I’m Akaashi and this is Bokuto” The shorter man with dark hair, who Kenma learns is Akaashi, speaks up and looks way calmer than Kenma expected him to. 

 

“H-hi” Kenma says, voice barely above a whisper. 

 

“ _ Akaashi _ ” Bokuto whisper yells, “how are you so calm right?”

 

Kenma, and probably everyone, could see how Bokuto’s practically vibrating with excitement. 

 

Akaashi smiles warmly at Kenma and continues to speak, ignoring Bokuto’s earlier comment, “Yaku said something about changing the water in the tub, and we’d be more than happy to help.”

 

“Oh, u-um,” Kenma begins fiddling with one of their fins, trying to calm their own nerves. Everyone stays silent, giving Kenma the time they need to reply. 

 

“O-okay, but I don’t really like the idea of all of you manhandling me out of this tub…” Kenma says, trying to sound stern. 

 

“Makes sense, but we need to get you out of there somehow…” Yaku says. 

 

“Well, first let's lay down some towels in the living room, since we’ll have to leave Kenma there while we clean up the bathroom a bit.” Akaashi suggest. 

 

“True” Yaku replies as he starts to gather some towels. 

 

Bokuto stands their dumbly, not sure of what to do. As Akaashi and Yaku get the living room ready, he turns to Kenma, causing them to flinch. 

 

“Argh!” Bokuto runs his hands through his hair, causing it to deflate a bit, “how is everyone so chill right now?! There is a super cool mermaid in the bathtub, right now! What?! Whaaaat?!”

 

“Bokuto, us being not calm would only make Kenma anxious so please restrain yourself” Akaashi says as he enters the bathroom again. 

 

“I’m sorry Kenma, but I think the only way we can get you into the other room is by carrying you,” Akaashi turns his attention to Kenma and gives him an apologetic smile. 

 

“R-right...” Kenma curses themself for stuttering so much, but they’re trying their best to not be extremely overwhelmed in this situation. 

 

“Also… Bokuto is the strongest out of the three of us, so he’ll be the one to move you” Akaashi says reluctantly.

 

“Me!?” Bokuto beams, his eyes sparkling. 

 

“Yes, you…” Akaashi sighs, “alright, let’s um… get you out of their I suppose.”

 

Akaashi crouches and leans towards the tub, the closeness catching Kenma by surprise. 

 

“Sorry, I’m going to stick my hand in the water to open the drain, it’ll probably startle you a bit but don’t worry.” Akaashi says reassuringly. 

 

Kenma nods and Akaashi moves to put his hand in the tub. Kenma can feel him moving his hand around, trying to find the drain. Once he finds it and its open, a weird sound comes from the tub causing Kenma to jump. 

 

“Alright, let's get you out of there” Akaashi says, taking his arm out of the water. 

 

“R-right!” Bokuto says a bit too loudly as he crouches by the tub. “Do… do I just go for it?”

 

“Yeah” Kenma answers, to both of their surprise. 

 

Bokuto puts one arm under their tail and the other supporting their back and lifts them out of the slowly draining water bridal style. Kenma hears him make some sort of sound but they don’t pay much mind to it, seeing as Bokuto is filled with many weird sounds. Once hoisted up, Bokuto makes his way towards the living room, a trail of water following him. In the living room there’s an absurd amount of towels spread out in an open area, next to the couch. Bokuto walks over to it and squats down, trying to put Kenma down as gently as he can. Once on the floor, Kenma immediately feels very exposed. There’s nothing covering their body and the feeling of being extremely far from the ocean is starting to really sink in. 

 

Bokuto stands up after putting Kenma down, and Kenma can tell he wants to stay something but seems to be having a really hard time finding the words. Not too long into the weird silence, Akaashi and Yaku join them in the living room. 

 

“Bokuto stop staring like that, it’s weird” Yaku says, jabbing at the taller mans sides. 

 

“S-sorry! I’m just… am I really the only awestruck one?!”

 

“Nah, I was pretty shaken this morning when I first saw them, but I’ve gotten used to it now” Yaku says nonchalantly. 

 

Bokuto looks at Akaashi for a reply, but the latter chooses to stay silent. 

 

“Anyway,” Yaku sighs, “let’s get the bathroom cleaned up, and also get that trail of water cleaned up as well.”

 

“Bokuto, why don’t you help Yaku with that?” Akaashi finally speaks up, “I’ll keep Kenma company.”

 

“Wh- I… okay?” Bokuto says and dumbly follows Yaku to go get some cleaning supplies. 

 

Akaashi takes a seat on the couch and turns to face Kenma, giving them a reassuring smile. 

 

“Kenma,” He starts, “do you mind if I test something?”

 

Kenma has absolutely no idea how to respond. They’re currently stranded in a humans home with said trusted human gone and now this other seemingly nice human is asking to  _ test _ something? If that wasn’t a red-flag, then Kenma didn’t know what was. Kenma tries putting on a mean face, and it seems to be working for the most part. Akaashi’s previously calm demeanor changes and is replaced with a more surprised look. 

 

“I’m sorry, that came out weird, didn’t it…” Akaashi says apologetically. “I’m not trying to hurt you, I just would like for you to stay out of the water for a little bit.”

 

“And by a little bit, you mean how long?” Kenma aks, glaring at him and biting back the hiss that’s trying so hard to roll off their tongue. 

 

“What’s the longest you’ve ever been out of water?” Akaashi asks in return. 

 

“I’m not sure, maybe 30 minutes” Kenma replies reluctantly. 

 

“Ok, so how about you stay out here for an hour?” Akaashi suggests. 

 

“Why?” Kenma snaps. 

 

“I’m just curious… I was thinking that maybe if you stay out of water for a certain amount of time your tail might change into… land-legs, if you will” Akaashi answers calmly, seeming a bit embarrassed at his own theory. 

 

Kenma relaxes slightly and gives Akaashi a quizzical look. 

 

“Oh… okay”

 

Kenma certainly was not expecting that to be his answer, but once the idea was put in their head, they also became curious. No one in their shoal has ever been on land, at least not to their knowledge, so there was really no telling what would happen if they stayed out of water for too long. 

 

“And after an hour, you’ll just put me back in the tub?” Kenma asks. 

 

“Of course”

 

“But what if it’s something that takes longer than an hour?” Kenma asks, surprising both themself and Akaashi.

 

“Would you be willing to stay out of the water for longer than an hour?” Akaashi asks in return. 

 

“I-I don’t know…”

 

“That’s okay, you don’t have to push yourself” Akaashi smiles, letting out a soft chuckle.

 

Kenma nods in response, not really knowing what else to say. Shortly after Bokuto and Yaku make their way back into the living room. 

 

“Okay, bathtubs all cleaned up and ready to go” Yaku announces. 

 

“Actually,” Kenma starts, glancing at Akaashi before continuing, “I think I’m gonna stay out here for a bit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this update!  
> i finally somewhat have figured out what im gonna do with this fic so hopefully i can get the updates out faster (although ill be moving countries again in july so things r getting a bit hectic haaa) 
> 
> anYway, please leave any thoughts/comments <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments & thoughts!
> 
> <3


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